A young Nigerian lady has shared her inspirational story of how through hardwork and determination, she rose from a humble background to get a Master’s Diploma in Italy.
The lady, Roseline Adeyemo, holds a first degree in Agricultural Economics from the University of Ibadan and recently completed a Master’s Diploma in Open Innovation and Youth Entrepreneurship in the Agrifood sector.
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In an exclusive interview with Skabash.com, Roseline tells Asukwo Oduo of all the challenges she had to go through before achieving this feat.
She grew up in Sepeteri, a remote village in Oyo State, Nigeria, where she was top of her class. However, in search of better quality education, her dad transferred her to Saki, Oyo state.
At Saki, Roseline struggled as the standard of education was relatively higher, and students here were used to reading all night.
Determined not to give up, she went the extra mile to get an alarm clock so she could wake up and read at night.
Her grades improved significantly, and before long, she began to record A’s in subjects like Mathematics, where she had previously struggled.
Although Roseline wanted to study Medicine, she was offered Agricultural Economics at the University of Ibadan.
She didn’t like the idea at all, but after she got conviction from God, she decided to jettison the idea of pursuing a degree in Medicine and Surgery.
Failure is not Final
Already a chartered accountant (ICAN certified), Roseline failed many times while searching for scholarship opportunities abroad.
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“I applied many times. I can’t even count the number. Rejection is part of life. Rejection, most times, is redirection. Train yourself to deal with rejection,” she said.
She kept going when many things weren’t working, and she kept putting in the work even when no one recognised her.
She also said that information matters a lot in the search for scholarships.
However, her breakthrough came when a friend she had previously helped sent her a link to a scholarship opportunity he felt she qualified for.
She applied and was accepted, and although the language barrier in Bari, Italy, was a challenge, Roseline’s determination shone through, and she came out tops.
Educational Standard in Bari, Italy
The standard of education in Italy is topnotch, and because they don’t have to worry about certain things like constant electricity, unlike what is obtainable in Nigeria, is what fascinated Roseline.
She believes Nigeria can mirror this and provide necessary facilities that will make the life of the average student easy and help them focus entirely on their academics.
“Everyone deserves basic amenities, and we should be able to offer this,” she said.
She said the experience in Bari, Italy, has shaped her to work in a multicultural environment and helped her discover herself more.
In a post on LinkedIn, Roseline said, “If I were to think of one word to describe this journey, it would be: Interesting.“
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Importance of Having Great Mentors
When asked about 3 persons that have influenced her career, she mentioned Dr. Alawode, her lecturer at the Department of Agricultural Economics, University of Ibadan, who continues to mentor her even after graduation.
She further stated that the achievement of DG, WTO, Dr. Okonjo Iweala, has greatly inspired her and was one reason she put in for ICAN, and she hopes to meet her one day.
Emmanuel Falude, her pastor, an architect who teaches a lot about excellence, has also inspired her to give her best in everything she does.
According to her, “once you can improve yourself, there’s no limit.”
When Asukwo Oduo asked her if wedding bells would ring soon or if eligible bachelors could still ‘apply,’ she said wedding bells would ring soon😁.
