Hannah-Grace was always different. She was peculiar. She wasn't like your normal story character, do you know why? Because she was an African outcast. It was rumoured in her village that her mother was a slut and her father a thief. She didn't have anything good to hold onto but she chose to be different and move past her parents vile reputation and become the best of it. In Africa, children like her were always looked down upon because society believed she had nothing to offer. Going to school was worse because she was picked on by not only her peers but her teachers also, all except one. Mrs Ibitunde. An African woman from the well known Yoruba tribe in Nigeria. She saw a girl with lots of potential and wasn't afraid to let others know how much that child was worth. Hannah felt love for the first time the day Mrs Ibitunde came to her defence after being welcomed into their class as their new economics teacher. The other students had mocked her when a question was asked in class and she answered correctly before the teacher could affirm her answer. She was expecting Mrs Ibitunde to be like the other teachers and mock her as well, rather she scolded the students and told them she was correct and gave a rule that anyone caught mocking any student in her class would be punished. That was when she knew Mrs Ibitunde was different from the other teachers. She smiled at the considerate woman before her. That was how there bond grew, strengthening the little girl. One day as they walked back home together as they had begun doing after that incident, Mrs Ibitunde asked her what she wanted to be when she grew up and she happily replied that she wanted to be an Economist. That she wanted to be like Mrs Ngozi Okoji-Iweala. The greatest economist Nigeria had had. Mrs Ibitunde smiled at her enthusiastic answer and told her about a university far from Africa. The great University of Amsterdam. Hannah smiled and said she couldn't go because her parents barely even give her money to add to what she makes from hawking water on the streets for schooling. Mrs Ibitunde smiled and explained that she could go if she got a scholarship. That was how plans began to be put in place and studying was set into a different pace. Hannah wanted to prove to everyone and herself that she wasn't a victim as the world looked upon her as. She was bigger than that. Her new found confidence put a step in her stride and a constant smile in her face which confused not only her peers and teachers who picked on her but also everyone in their community who looked down upon her because of who her parents were. The day of the scholarship exam came sooner than she expected and she felt nervous despite the constant words of encouragement Mrs Ibitunde whispered to her as they journeyed to the scholarship center where she would write the exam. She did her best as she promised herself she would, and give it her everything. Few weeks after the exam Mrs Ibitunde called her to her office and gave her the bad news. She wasn't chosen because she was African and she was from a rural community which no one recognised. She was devastated. She cried for days but then suddenly came out of that despair and told Mrs Ibitunde that she wanted to retake the exam. Luckily for her , these scholarship exams came four times a year. She had partaken in the first one, she studied harder and worked more to raise the money for the registration. Taking the exam for the second time she prayed for good news this time. Yet to her disappointment, she still didn't make it because of a controversy about her skin colour and her background. Not losing hope she wrote the third time and still wasn't listed. Mrs Ibitunde never having seen that kind of determination in a child mistreated and looked down upon so much. A child born after the 2020 pandemic. Even in a country still suffering from the economic meltdown due to the pandemic,Hannah worked hard to be exceptional. Mrs Ibitunde wrote to the university of Amsterdam as an alumni requesting sponsorship for Hannah's education. Hannah was just coming back from the market after a stressful day of selling water when she sites Mrs Ibitunde and ran to welcome her. Her joy knew no bounds, as Mrs Ibitunde hands her the letter she had lost hope of seeing. Mrs Ibitunde explained to her how the letter came about and encouraged her to chase her dreams. It's been ten years since that day, and she couldn't help but smile as she remembered her journey. Looking at her children play with her husband she remembered why she changed her name to hope, because that was what brought her through. HOPE.

I can vividly recall the first time I got denied admission to my first choice university. I was at work at an orthodox factory in Lagos, Nigeria about to have lunch. It was a bright sunny day. I came out of the factory, washed my hands, changed from my factory robe and trudged with my friends towards the kitchen. As we approached our destination, scents from the kitchen intensified the ache in our stomach. We hurriedly placed our orders and went to sit. Soon our food arrived, and we started eating. Laughter reverberated through the air as jokes were being cracked while we happily munched our jollof rice- a spicy Nigerian delicacy famous in many parts of West Africa. In the midst of this, I refreshed my email inbox only to receive an email stating that my application portal had been updated. My heartbeat increased. Immediately, I decided to check out my application status on the application portal of the university I applied to. I checked out the website, typed my application ID, and my password and behold, the news was staring at my face right there on my small Nokia C1. I was denied. Immediately, my countenance changed. As people kept laughing at the jokes being thrown around, my thoughts wandered away to seek for an answer to the question of “what do I do next?” “I'll wait for my other applications to other universities” was the thought that came to my head. But that was the genesis of my denials. I got more denials and more and even more until I missed the chance to further proceed with my studies that same year. Then I waited for the next year planning and strategizing on how I'll make the best of the applications and hopefully come out victorious in the end. In a nutshell, I got into two universities in the end and had to pick one that suits my needs and desires. To get what I wanted, I learned about certain qualities I had to possess to have my way and I call them my 5-D rule. Firstly, I had a dream. I knew what I wanted. It was clear as crystal. I knew this was where I wanted to be. I initially did not know how I was going to get there, but I knew that this was the dream. Your dream needs to be fastened to your heart and mind. Then you can map out a trajectory that will eventually lead you to this unique dream of yours. Secondly, I decided on what I want to do to get to the top. I asked myself questions like “what can I do to get to this self-created dream of mine? How do I achieve what I want? What steps do I need to take to get there?” When you start asking these questions, you'll start making conscious efforts on what to do and which steps to take to get there. Also, I was determined to achieve that dream. Whichever honest way I was going to take to get there; I was ready to tread on that path. That is what I call determination. This term does not look at the demotivating comments or ridicules other people say or throw at it; determination never feels tired or weary of its dream; determination perseveres, and that is the mentality that should guide your steps. Diligence was the next personality I imbibed. Anything good that comes your way most of the time comes the hard way. It is not always rosy. I had to fold up my sleeves, dip my hands into the soil and toil really hard to get what I wanted. Hard work is key to anything good in life. Finally, I declared the positive. Death and life are in the power of the tongue. You become what you profess. Therefore, I kept telling myself what I wanted with full assurance that I will get it. The more you profess negativity, the more you start feeling pessimistic about things in your life, and ultimately, that will breed negative results and vice versa. With this article, I hope I have inspired you one way or the other. Always remember that good things do not come easy; only the ones that dare to persevere until the end eventually make it.