FAILURE IS NEEDED FOR GROWTH
*FAILURE IS NEEDED FOR GROWTH.*
From Commonwealth
I started my scholarship application journey in 2018. Having graduated with a first class and being the overall best graduating student in my faculty, with distinctions in all my professional courses, I thought that winning a scholarship would be a walk in the park. I had never failed before, and I never thought failure would ever know my name.
_ 2 Commonwealth Shared Scholarships at University of Leeds and Glasgow,
_ Gates
Cambridge Scholarship at the University of Cambridge
_ Forward Bound Scholarship at the University of Brighton
_Mastercard Foundation Scholarship at UBC
I was rejected at all except University of Glasgow where I was a reserve. I waited and waited for an upgrade which never came.
For the first time in my life I felt like a failure.
I happened to be in a Whatsapp group of Commonwealth scholars, some of who shared their stories of how they had to try severally before winning an award. I drew strength and inspiration from their stories and picked up was left of my self-confidence and decided to try again. I engaged in more volunteering opportunities, got more publications, continued to work on my personal and professional development.
In 2019, I applied to 21 Scholarships. Unbelievable right?
I started quite early to prepare my essays again, had about 4 persons review them. Edited and edited until it was perfect . And I sent them in. The scholarships were:
1) 12 Commonwealth shared Scholarships
2) Commonwealth Masters Scholarship
3) Erasmus Mundus Scholarship
4) OKP Scholarship
5) MasterCard Foundation Scholarship at University of Edinburgh
6) Joint Japan/World bank scholarship
7) Sheffield Africa Scholarship
8) Allan and Nesta Ferguson Charitable Trust Scholarship
9) Adelaide University HDR Scholarship, Australia
10) Queen Elizabeth Commonwealth Scholarship.
11) Chevening Scholarship
Nomination time came and I was reserve again at Glasgow and Leeds. I got shortlisted for MasterCard Edinburgh Interview, which went successfully. But I got the shock of my life when I received an email that I wasn't awarded the scholarship. I cried and cried until my eye sockets almost fell off.
Although all through the waiting period I had been praying for God's favours, I intensified it this time. I fasted! I prayed. "God, let my heart desires align with your will" was my major prayer point.
I really needed this scholarship, and time was no longer on my side. I have a job that requires me to get a master's degree to be promoted, and I didn't want to be pressured to get a master's degree that I didn't really like here in Nigeria all because of a promotion. I wanted to get master's in a course that I really liked, and that was Public Health. I wanted to advance my career and professional development through a degree in a developed country.
But it seemed that the more I prayed, the more the rejections kept coming in. I got so used to it that when a rejection email came, I shed a few tears and went back to God's word for encouragement.
Then on July 1st, I was so sure the second half of the year would bring good tidings. I kept checking my email, kept refreshing! And it dropped!
" We regret to inform you that your application has been unsuccessful...."
Oh My God! Not again on the new month!
I was devastated, but I continued to pray.
On July 15th, I came home from a field work and my phone was down. Had it charged and as usual, I went to my email.
The first one there was that of a Commonwealth Shared Scholarship team from the University of Leeds.
" We are pleased to recommend you for an award...."
What?????
I couldn't believe it. What???
I couldn't even scream, my hands were shaking as I held my phone. I layed down on the floor or my bedroom in worship of God Almighty. I was shaking. It was like a dream. At last! Oh God!
Thank you!
And that was how one YES, took away all the pains and anxiety from more than a dozen NOs.
The people who win Scholarships do not have 2 heads. They are normal people who kept trying and trying and trying. And trusting God.
Often times, all we see on social media are success stories. Very few persons share stories of rejections. This doesn't make it easy on people who have failed severally and need just that one story to spur them on.
Failure is a growth phenomenon. Failure teaches us not to rely on our laurels; not to rely on the glory of our past achievements but to keep working.
If you are reading this and wondering when your time would come to get that Scholarship, to get that job, to grow that business, my advice for you would be to keep trying, keep working, keep counting on the possibility of a YES, and keep believing God.
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