I got admitted to my first-choice college in 2014, right after I graduated from High School and was supposed to start my classes in January of 2015. However, it did not work out as planned due to some issues I encountered with getting my documents ready to travel. Therefore, I ended up not going to school and taking a gap year. At the very last minute, close to the application deadline for colleges I discovered another college I wanted to attend and immediately applied. This time I was unable to get a scholarship because I had applied at the very last minute and all the priority students, who applied earlier than I did, got all the scholarship opportunities. The fees were very high but my parents paid the full fees for my first year, amidst the naira-to-dollar exchange rate, while believing that I would get a scholarship in my second year.

While in school, I applied for as many scholarships opportunities as I could find regardless of the amount offered. I discovered an academic scholarship opportunity for already admitted students that would apply to my next year of study, which of course, would be the second year. It was done after the first semester so they could judge you based on your grades for that semester. I aimed at getting a 4.0. GPA. I declared that throughout my first semester that my work and efforts would be exceedingly crowned by God’s favour. I made sure that I was always conscious of God’s favour and not get myself worked up over any situation. When I get breakthroughs that would make my friends say, “Wow! You’re so lucky,” my mom would always tell me, “You’re not lucky; you are favoured.”

The first semester grades were released over the Christmas break and I made a 4.0. GPA, which meant I made an A in all the courses, I took. So, I applied for the scholarship, wrote the essays and provided all the documents that were required of me in January after the Christmas break. Later on, some students that I knew who applied for the scholarship as well started getting emails informing them of their success in getting the scholarship, but I did not get anything. One day in April, the thought of my scholarship filled my mind and I decided to go to the financial aid website directly to see if they had posted an award letter there. I checked and saw that I got the scholarship and the award letter had been on the site for a few days.

I went to the scholarship office the next day and they told me that since I got an academic scholarship, I would also get a bonus of paying what Texas State residents pay instead of the absurdly expensive international fees. Basically, my fees would be slashed in half and an extra 2,000 dollars, which had been awarded to me, would also be deducted.

I was overjoyed and forgot about the other scholarships I had applied already for. I thought it couldn’t get any better than that. However, a few weeks later, I got an email from the school’s housing office saying that I had been awarded another scholarship for my accommodation for the next year.

I thank God for going above and beyond my expectations when it was most needed. The exchange rate went up and my school fees decreased. That whole year in school was a miracle and a great evidence of God’s persistent favour to His children.