( CNN ) In a side room at the American University of Nigeria , four girls chat and giggle . One teenage girl in particular catches our attention . She looks familiar . Then we realize why . We met her just a few weeks after Boko Haram had attacked her school and abducted almost 300 students . As the Boko Haram trucks carrying them began to speed away to the militants ' territory , she and her friend bravely jumped , barely escaping with their lives . She was one of the lucky ones . School , she says , from that day on became a reminder of what almost happened . A place she never wanted to return . But now she is back and the change in her is remarkable . She dreams of remaining in the classroom as a teacher , so that just like her tutors , she can influence and inspire young minds . Studying with her here are 21 other girls from Chibok . They , too , escaped Boko Haram . Like hundreds of others across Nigeria 's North East , they were targeted simply for going to school . Choosing to go back to class is a statement of their courage and focus on education , which they hope will bring change back home . `` My people need my support , '' one girl says . `` And me going to school will make that change , '' She wants to be a surgeon . In a part of the world often lacking the most basic health care infrastructure , she has chosen to bring value to her community . One of three students we spoke to who want to study medicine , she 's extraordinarily focused and firm in her responses . It is hard to imagine sitting with her now what she and the other girls have been through at Boko Haram 's hands , what they almost lost . Some questions , though , they ca n't answer : any questions about the night of the attack , any reference to the friends still missing . These are too hard . Enrolled on scholarships at the university , these girls are the lucky ones , and they know it . There are 46 other Chibok girls who also escaped Boko Haram , but there are no funds available to pay for their education . Dr. Margee Ensign , the school 's vice-chancellor , is hoping to change that by raising funds through the university 's foundation . `` The world paid , and rightly so , a lot of attention to the close to 300 that were kidnapped , '' she says . `` We heard through various people that some had escaped that night and when it came to our attention that about a dozen wanted to come to AUN , we thought , we can do that ! '' She did more then just raise the funds . When the parents agreed to release their girls into her care , she and her security director traveled -- just the two of them -- to the outskirts of Chibok to go and get the girls , in spite of the insecurity . Even on campus , though , the specter of Boko Haram is never far away . The American University is in Adamawa state , one of the states in North East Nigeria that is under a state of emergency . This calls for constant vigilance at the school : Cars are searched by hand and guards and sniffer dogs are on constant patrol . For the girls , to remain in school , they must draw upon all their reserves of courage . It is a reality these extraordinarily self-possessed young ladies softly acknowledge . When I ask how it is they are able to persevere , one girl says with a slight smile , `` I 'm very brave and determined . '' She really is . All the girls are . But they 're hoping a day will come when they wo n't have to be .
Nigerian refugees escaped after Boko Haram expelled them from prison . They tried to help their country by finishing their education .