In 2011, while in my 3rd year at University, shortly after I lost my dad, I was awarded a Total E&P undergraduate scholarship.

It was such a beautiful feeling. I began to nurture the thought of studying abroad for a master’s degree on a scholarship.

I saw pictures and videos of students studying abroad and my hunger for scholarships increased but I had not figured out how I was gonna do it. All I did was wish.

In 2012, using the funding from my Total scholarship, I went to Abuja, Nigeria with Gideon Marcus and bought a laptop. My very first laptop. When I got back to school, I created a folder on the computer called “SCHOLARSHIPS”. That was how I made my first move into securing international scholarships. Notice that my first move was as simple as creating a folder on my computer. Creating that folder made me deliberate about reading about scholarships and saving all scholarship-related documents in the folder. I continued to build tailored skills that will make me scholarship-worthy.

In 2016, I got awarded two (2) fully international scholarships to undertake an M.Sc in Public Health-Health Promotion. The first scholarship was awarded by the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission (CSC) in the UK and the second was funded by the World Health Organization (WHO). They both came at the same time and I had to decline the WHO scholarship after strategically weighing my options.

The WISH came to me in 2011 but it was in 2016 (5 years later) that my wish came to fruition. I continued to feed my WISH and let it grow into my MOVES. It began with creating a folder on my computer. I just kept learning all I could while keeping my eyes on the price. I did not have it figured out, I was simply making small moves.

My small moves over 5years became big enough to put me in the position of declining a scholarship from the World Health Organisation.

What is your wish today? It is healthy to wish but it is healthier to grow your wish into moves. You might not have it figured out yet but your small moves will speak soon. Mine took 5years. Yours can be shorter. Keep moving.

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