AFRICA | A determined young Nigerian man named Pedepo Emmanuel, who was rejected many times in an attempt to study in the United States, has fought back successfully to earn the United States presidential scholarship to study for his PhD.
Emmanuel obtained his bachelor’s degree in Psychology with first-class honors at Lagos State University, Nigeria, after which he proceeded to earn a master’s degree in Clinical Psychology at the same university.
Narrating on his LinkedIn, Pedepo said that after he had earned his master’s, he was offered a job as a Lab Technologist at Lagos State University, which was nothing closer to his dream job, but he took it hoping he would just work there for a while.
It was during his time at work that he found the motivation to begin applying for scholarships to pursue his doctorate. Pedepo shared that he applied to over 20 schools, but was not accepted into any of them.
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”I remember I was in my office when all the rejections (some call it love letters) rolled in. These, coupled with unnecessary pressure from work, just weighed me down and unmotivated me. What made it worse was that two of the people I introduced got in,” he said.
Though he felt unmotivated and almost gave up after his rejections, he remained hopeful. Pedepo started applying again, learning from his mistakes, and investing in meaningful materials.
”Mind you, getting into the application season, I had two emotional breakdowns, which on their own should have made me stop (a story for another platform), but I kept trying. I do my job during the day, then scholarship applications at nights and weekends,” he said.
Pedepo applied for 25 scholarships, and after the rigorous screening, he got 10 interviews and two scholarship offers. One of the scholarships was a direct Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at the University of South Florida, which came with a Teaching Assistantship position.
He also got a United States Visa appointment, where he did an interview, which was approved. However, a day after his Visa was approved, he got an email informing me that the Ph.D. scholarship and the Teaching Assistantship were canceled.
This unfortunate disappointment made him brood, but along the line, he got another email informing him of another award. Pedepo got a congratulatory message from the Presidential office offering him a five-year Presidential Doctoral Fellowship Award.
He also got another email that readmitted him into the same Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program with a Presidential Doctoral Fellowship, the most prestigious scholarship only given to the top 1% of Doctoral students in the United States.
Pedepo expressed his excitement stating that it is a consolation for all the rejections he suffered. He expressed his gratitude to people who showed their support directly or indirectly during the process and those who recommended him.
Pedepo is currently studying for his doctorate degree in Clinical Psychology at the University of South Florida, United States as a Presidential Doctoral Fellow.
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