“From Calabar To England” Says Man Who Wore Slippers To School Because He Could Not Afford To Repair His Shoes, As He Gets Scholarship Abroad

Man named, Archibong Bassey who struggled so much while growing up, achieved his childhood dreams. Sharing motivational post on his LinkedIn, he wrote:

FROM CALABAR TO ENGLAND

Congratulations!!! You have been awarded a COMMONWEALTH SCHOLARSHIP.. My joy knew no bounds when I received my Confirmation of award mail for a fully funded #Commonwealth Shared Scholarship for a Masters in Public Health (MPH) at the University of Warwick, Coventry, England. United Kingdom To me, the journey reaching this point has been mostly life long 🤣, as I remember as a child watching Harry Potter on TV, and so in love with the feels of the environment over there and never stopped dreaming.

From a struggling family, I told myself such dreams aren’t possible so I should just focus on my education first. While my parents couldn’t afford all the luxuries in life, they made sure I had quality education and took care of my well-being.

I remembe their joy when I graduated as the only First Class from my department’ graduating set at the time, their joy knew no bounds.

I remember vividly in my year one when I used to wear bathroom slippers(dunlops) to undergraduate exams because I couldn’t afford to repair my shoes. This award is dedicated to their struggles to make sure that I achieve greater heights even though they couldn’t. I remember their joy when I graduated as the only First Class from my department’ graduating set at the time .

For Scholarships,I was never lucky to get any during my undergraduate years so I promised myself that I would get one for masters to assist my parents of the burden, but I knew it wouldn’t come cheap. The year of the pandemic 2020, after my NYSC wasn’t a great time, from unemployment issues, to bandits breaking into the new apartment I had just rented and many other problems.

Even with those challenges, I looked up the Chevening Awards scholarship and thought it wise to apply, It was my first time and although I didn’t make the final shortlist, I had scaled through to the interview stage Thanks to Augustina Stephen Ogbodo and ThankGod for that was a great leap for my scholarship journey. It was during the period of preparations for the Chevening interview that Elvis encouraged me to apply for the commonwealth shared scholarship and I did.

He diligently reviewed my essays and Here I am Celebrating the outcome. I also appreciate Brenda Effiom Ekpereonne Esu FRSPH Ime Asangansi, MD, PhD for being academic and professional references to me throughout the application processes. Thank you Sunday Okafor Agboga Aaron for their advice articles and YouTube videos on winning the scholarship. To Nsikakabasi Lotenna Teeyamz Winners Seun Ernest Mark, Chinedu for being strong support and my go-to person, I couldn’t be more grateful for you all and the army of amazing people in my circle. Grateful to GOD for making my dream a reality.

Thank you to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office University of Warwick for finding me deserving of this award. As a budding young public health professional, I hope to continue changing the narrative of public health in Africa and across the globe. #scholarships #firstclass #dontgiveup #schoolnobescam #publichealth

Congratulations to him.

Source: LinkedIn

Email: elora.akpotosevbe@yahoo.com