Hi, my name is Iwalewa Oni. I am a Nigerian American. I was
born in Brooklyn, NY at Downstate Hospital on February 26,
- My parents were overjoyed on the day I was born. They
prayed for a girl after already having two boys. When my dad
first laid eyes on me, he said I was the most beautiful girl
that he'd ever seen. He told me that when he smiled at me, I
blushed and looked away. It was then that my name came to him,
Iwaoluwalewa. Which means Godly character is beautiful.
However everyone calls me Iwalewa for short. Here's my story.
The number seven was always my favorite number, my mom told me
that it was the number of perfection when I was a little girl.
Perfection in all things was my goal so the number seven stuck
to me. That was until that dreadful day that I'll never
forget. December 7th 2007 was a regular day or so I thought.
I woke up exhausted from studying for midterm exams all night.
I was certainly looking forward to Christmas break. What kept
me going was that I'd be graduating from high school in June
of next year. Clara Barton High School was okay but I was so
over the drama and pettiness of my age mates. I was looking
forward to getting out of Brooklyn and going to college.
I wasn't the most intelligent student but I had pretty good
grades. I grew up with a single parent and three siblings, I
wanted to make my mom happy because of all the sacrifices that
she made for us. After my dad's death she was thronged into
the workforce again after being a housewife for 8 years. The
day daddy died I cried all night long, I was his princess and
he was the epitome of a great husband to my mom and an
amazing father to my siblings and I. I being the third born
and only girl needed daddy's love and he lavished it on me. It
has been four years since his passing and I'm grateful for
the years we shared. I have friends who didn't grow up with a
father and the difference is clear. Many of them were
constantly in search of love in all the wrong places, but I
wasn't interested because my father's love was enough to last
me for a lifetime.
I looked at my alarm clock again and rolled my eyes, I was
running late for school. And I hate being late. I had ten
minutes to get ready and that was impossible. I read my
morning devotional and prayed for a great day ahead and for
success on my midterm exams. It was now 7:45 am and my first
class was at 8:00 am. I took a quick shower brushed my teeth,
combed my hair, and dabbed on a little makeup. I threw on a
pair of jeans, a denim shirt, and a pair of leopard print
flats. I grabbed my school bag and my small duffle bag with my
work uniform and dashed out of the door.
I got on the Q train at 8:12 am, I had on my head phones
listening to "Faithful is our God" by Hezekiah Walker. Every
time I listened to that song, I was encouraged. God has indeed
been faithful to me and I owed him my life. I got to school at
8:25 am, thankfully I was able to grab a bagel and a small
cup of hot chocolate on the way. I went through the usually
routine once I arrived at school, showed my school ID to the
security guards and successfully went through the metal
detectors. I finally got to class and quietly took a seat at
the back. Many of my classmates were half asleep and others
were in their own worlds. Early classes weren't a favorite
among most people. I tried to listen and take as much notes as
possible while eating my breakfast. It was our U.S. history
class and I must admit that it was a bit boring. But I had an
exam to pass so I sucked it up.
The rest of the day went on fine, I attended all my classes,
caught up with friends, and met with my guidance counselor
about college preparations. Now it was time to head to work. I
worked at Wendy's on Utica avenue. I really didn't like
working at a fast food restaurant but it was better than
nothing. I didn't always have to run to my mommy for funds,
even though they didn't pay much. And working there didn't
help with my waistline, I had unlimited access to food and I
took advantage of it. Being a foodie, I was always being
creative with my food choices. I ate everything from cheese
burgers with bacon topped with chicken nuggets to bacon,
cheese, chilly, and chive french fries. Yea, I am a foodie!
I arrived at work 15 minutes before my scheduled work time and
decided to grab something to eat before a long night. I got a
spicy chicken sandwich and a sour cream and chive baked
potato. After eating, I changed into my uniform and clocked in
for work. Here we go, let the craziness begin!