Scholarship

Carrier Goal and Educational Accomplishment

Back in Africa, some people think that America is a country where money is plucked from trees. It is a very difficult process coming to the United States, especially from my country, Nigeria. Anyone wishing to come to the United States must submit his or her name in a lottery and hope to be chosen. While many people are invited to participate in the lottery, because of the high crime rate, many are refused. Most people want to come to America because it is a land of opportunity, but it is not in their mind that they have to struggle and work hard before they can get what they want. Some people who have relatives who either live in United States or who came for a vacation see these family members return to Nigeria bringing lots of stuff for them like money, cars, clothing etc. This reinforces in their minds that things are so easy and that when they get to the United States they will get everything at once. I never knew that one day I would come to the United States. It was a good experience for me before coming because I knew it wasn’t that easy and that the opportunity I had only comes once in a life time. I worked hard and knew that I would have to continue to work hard to take advantage of my opportunity. So I studied hard in preparation for the day that my chance would come. Before coming to the United States during the immigration process, I was rejected by the American Embassy more than five times. Things were so difficult that my grandparents and everybody in my family prayed and fasted for twenty days in the hope that my mum and my remaining siblings would be able to come to the United States. I had to tell them that everything would be alright that it was just a matter of time. We kept on trying to find our way to the United States and eventually God made a way for my Dad. By winning the lottery, he was able to come to the United States. After some time, my Dad decided to file for everybody. Once he