recreation rooms were outfitted with televisions,
plush couches, and motivational sayings painted
on the walls. The dorm was divided into four
“houses,” each named for a famous woman.
Soon after Esther arrived, another studentpassed on Patience’s message. On the phone,
Esther told Patience everything that had hap-
pened in the forest and swore her to secrecy.
“Don’t let it stop you,” Patience advised. “This is
our best opportunity to make something good.”
IN A FOUR-BED DORM ROOM, Esther stacked
her new books onto shelves and emptied her
suitcase into the wardrobe. Her new computer
quickly filled up with selfies and pictures that
Patience sent over WhatsApp.
At first the new students kept to themselves,
eating in their own building and going to the
gym early on Saturdays. Before long, they began
dining in the main cafeteria, and some attended
classes in the library.
But they are not regular students. Boko Haram
pledged to kill them if they returned to school.
Guards watch their building and follow them
whenever they leave. On campus they have a
24/7 support system: 11 student affairs “aunties”
who live in the dorms, a nurse, and a walk-in
psychologist’s office. Some have bullets and
shrapnel still lodged in their bodies. One has a
prosthetic leg. Another walks with a cane. Most94 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC