A 17-year-old recent high school graduate from Nigeria has been offered 19 scholarships from some of the best US and Canadian universities. Victory Yinka-Banjo had always been an excellent student, while her main subjects of interest are in STEM (Science, Tech, Engineering and Math). Victory started to catch the media's attention in her country after scoring straight As in her West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) in 2020. She has also scored A* in all six subjects of the Cambridge IGCSE exam and has been rated "Top in the World" in English as a second language by the University of Cambridge International Examination (CIE)
Soon after her astonishing achievements, CNN reported that Victory was offered $5 million dollars worth of scholarship to study for her desired undergraduate degree in Computational Biology. The offers come from the Ivy League schools, Yale College, Princeton University, Harvard College, and Brown University, as well as, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Stanford University, Johns Hopkins University, and the University of Virginia. She has also been offered the Lester B. Pearson scholarship from the University of Toronto and the Karen McKellin International Leader of Tomorrow (KMILOT) scholarship from the University of British Columbia, in Canada.
The U.S. and Nigeria recognize the value of education & work together to promote educational opportunities.
— U.S. Mission Nigeria (@USinNigeria) May 1, 2021
Congratulations to 2020 Opportunity Fund Program recipient Victory Yinka-Banjo for receiving multiple scholarship offers from universities across the United States. Kudos! pic.twitter.com/mBeQNDmWmQ
Speaking of the offers she received from the universities, the 17-year-old said:
"It still feels pretty unbelievable. I applied to so many schools because I didn't even think any school would accept me."
After receiving the offers, Victory has got a great confidence boost, saying that the scholarships:
"have made me stand taller, smile wider, and pat myself on the back more often."
1st picture - Last week, 3 girls from a secondary school near where I live approached me and told me that I am inspiringðŸ˜
— Victory Yinka-Banjo (@VictoryYBanjo) April 23, 2021
They knew me from...somewhere in between watching me direct church services, teach on radio, and ‘trend’ (lol) on social media. I was blushing omggg🥺🥰 pic.twitter.com/jZPPHxt8SF
Her parents, Chika Yinka-Banjo, a senior lecturer at the University of Lagos, and Adeyinka Banjo, a private sector procurement and supply chain executive, are delighted with their daughter's achievements. But Victory still finds it hard to believe that she has done so well given the high standards set by these universities. She noted:
"Their admissions processes are extremely selective, they only accept the best of the best. So, you can imagine how, on a daily basis, I have to remind myself that I actually got into these schools."
Although humble about her performance, the 17-year-old admits that her achievements are the fruits of all the hard work she has put into sudying. She said:
"They have made me truly feel proud about the hard work I have put into several areas of my life over the years. I am slowly beginning to realize that I deserve them."
Victory is currently weighing up her options and has prioritised Stanford, Harvard, MIT, Duke, and Johns Hopkins, as her top preference.
Her mother, Chika, hopes that her daughter's story will inspire other pupils in Nigeria to follow her path. She said:
"It is noteworthy that she is not one of the Nigerian-Americans who often get into these schools because of their advantage of being born and bred in the US. She completed her secondary school here [in Nigeria]. It would be great if her story can be used to inspire the youths of our country,"
At the moment, Victory is tutoring others who desire to get admitted for study in university through the radio. She is particularly assisting them in the subjects of math, English language, biology, chemistry, and physics.
[h/t: Upworthy]
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