By Sodiq Oyeleke

A Nigerian, Onyeka Chukwudozie, has been offered six doctorate scholarship offers from universities in Australia and California.

The Nigerian, who announced this via his LinkedIn account, said he had hawked mangoes and drinks in markets in the past.

According to him, the scholarship offers came after he had been rejected by universities over the years.

Chukwudozie had his first degree from the University of Lagos in 2016. He finished with a first-class.

Of the offers he got, the scholar chose to study Biological sciences (virology) at the University of California, San Diego.

He narrated, “Finally, the dream has been actualised. I am starting my PhD in Biological Sciences (virology) programme here at one of the most prestigious schools in the world UC San Diego (University of California, San Diego). I was once a boy who hawked mangoes and local drinks in markets and roadside to assist my family in putting food on the table.

“That same boy today gained a total of six PhD scholarships, which include University of California San Diego, Rice University, Two offers from Purdue University, University of Kansas and University of Melbourne, Australia. These came after countless and painful rejections over the years.”

Three years of pain, tears

Chukwudozie noted that his rejections by middle-tier schools forced him to apply to top ones and it worked out.

He said, “Honestly, it’s a three-year journey that entails tears, rejections, hope, patience and joy. After graduating in 2016 with a first-class from the prestigious University of Lagos, it was my dream to pursue graduate studies.

“I had countless rejections, despite the number of publications and research experience. Most of these rejections were mostly from low to middle-tier schools, but I kept the perseverance. In fact, I heightened my quest and applied to top schools, and got in.”

Originally published at Punch