A young and determined Nigerian man, Abdullahi Aborode, has proven that you do not necessarily need to have a first-class or second-class upper degree to win scholarships abroad.
The young Abdullahi has won not one but two PhD scholarships to the United States with his second-class lower (2.2) degree and also without a masters degree to show he is just as brilliant as graduates with first-class.
Abdullahi graduated from the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN), Nigeria, with a bachelor’s degree in Chemistry. Ever since his graduation, he has always been passionate about pursuing international graduate studies.
According to him, his strong passion for research and science fueled his ambition. However, the journey was difficult due to the intense competition. Nevertheless, he persisted and kept applying to graduate schools for four years.
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He narrated further that the majority of his applications got rejected but he committed himself to continuous improvement, enhancing his laboratory skills and techniques, research writing, leadership, volunteering, and obtaining certifications like the GRE, Duolingo, and TOEFL.
He also attended conferences to broaden his knowledge and network.
His perseverance finally paid off in 2022 when he received two fully funded PhD offers in the United States.
He described his journey as one of “struggle, competition, hard work, prayer, and breakthrough”.
After considering the scholarship offers he received, Abdullahi decided to commence his PhD program at the Department of Chemistry at Mississippi State University.
He stated that his research will focus on the interface of science and medicine, combining structural biology, biophysics, and electrophysiology to explore how the intracellular calcium-sensing protein “Calmodulin” detects changes in calcium concentration and modifies protein-protein interactions—critical processes for developing treatments for heart diseases.
Abdullahi expressed appreciation to God, his family, and friends who supported him through difficult times. He also thanked his mentors for their guidance and his recommenders for their unwavering belief in him.
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