Determined Nigerian Lady Wins Master’s Scholarship to US with 2nd Class Lower Degree, Celebrates Achievement

A determined Nigerian woman, Imohkhefe Grace, has defied the odds by winning a fully funded master’s scholarship to study in the United States of America with a second class lower degree, 2:2. This, to many, had been reserved for first-class or second class upper degrees.

She applied to many scholarship programs, each year for four consecutive years, with rejections as the only letter she received because her lower grade stood in the way. A graduate of Nutrition Science from the University of Ibadan, her persistence paid off in 2017 when she won a fully funded scholarship for a master’s degree in Gerontology at Georgia State University.

Her mentor, Oludayo Sokunbi, took to Twitter to break the good news that he is proud of her feat. “Imohkhefe Grace has been with me since 2020. She graduated with a 2:2, and that affected her scholarship pursuit,” Oludayo said. But such a challenge did not deter the persistence and determination of Grace to eventually make it through.

What makes her achievement all the more remarkable is that she got the scholarship without writing standardized tests, usually a necessity in foreign admissions like GRE or TOEFL. Nor did she have to appear in any interview. Years of consistency, hard work, and not letting go of her goals brought her the success.

Gerontology is the study of aging and older adults, and Grace will be attending Georgia State University to pursue it. With life expectancy for people improving day by day, the science of gerontology has grown in importance, with researchers specializing in subfields such as physiology, social science, psychology, public health, and policy.

The story of Grace dares the misconception that only top-class academic qualifications qualify candidates for fully funded scholarships. She proved through her journey that with perseverance and dedication, goals can be achieved even by those with lower academic grades.

Another motivating example is the case of Islamiyat Ojelade, a Nigerian lady, who was offered seven PhD scholarships in top universities in the United States. Without having a bachelor’s or master’s degree, Islamiyat applied for admission with a Higher National Diploma, HND, and is now pursuing a doctorate in Chemistry at Florida State University.

These stories say a lot about how it does not matter what academic background one comes from; success can still happen in higher education if the person stays committed to goals.