"My Parents Are Excited but Also Pleasantly Confused": Young Man Who Bagged Harvard and Oxford Scholarships
- A young Nigerian man identified as Destiny Ogedegbe has celebrated being the recipient of two prestigious scholarships
- Destiny got scholarships from Harvard University and Oxford University and revealed that they were the only two schools he applied for graduate studies
- Destiny however disclosed that the feat made his parents happy but also pleasantly confused and he explained why
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Destiny Osayi Ogedegbe, a young man, has taken to social media to celebrate receiving scholarships into Harvard University and Oxford University.
The Nigerian in a series of tweets revealed that the two prestigious institutions happened to be the only two schools he ever put in for graduate studies.
Source: Twitter
"These are the only two schools I have ever applied to for graduate studies and I got into both. They both did the right thing, I suspect, because this story is already written in the stars —this is merely the mortal manifestation of God’s ideal. I have no other explanation," he wrote.
Destiny shares his parents' reactions to the feat
On his parents' reactions to his academic feat, Destiny said it was a case of mixed feelings. He said they were excited and also pleasantly confused and this is due to their humble background. He wrote:
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"My parents are excited, but also pleasantly confused. This is beyond them. Because from where we come, folks don’t wake up and dream of Harvard or Oxford. Now, my mum describes me in our dialect as “the child who was born with gold in his hands”. Everyone is happy about it."
He appreciated his sponsors, mentors and friends for being a great support system.
"I have amazing sponsors, mentors and friends around me. I love and appreciate them all. Can I forget how immensely supportive they have been to me? Certainly not, not in this lifetime of promise and pleasant surprises."
Destiny is now enrolled for Harvard Law School LLM Programme as his pick was Harvard University.
Destiny explains why he said people don't wake up and dream of Harvard or Oxford where he comes from
When quizzed by Legit.ng's Victor Duru about why he said in his tweet that people from his background don't wake up and dream of Harvard or Oxford, the Edo state indigene born to parents of Bini extraction revealed that he grew up in one of the remotest areas in Benin City.
"I grew up in one of the remotest areas in Benin City: Upper Sokponba. While things are better off now comparatively speaking, growing up there in the last decade, took a toll."
He added that the level of education there was relatively low.
"You’re exposed to all sorts and the level of education over there is relatively low. It is difficult for most to even pursue a degree at a tertiary institution much less considering postgraduate studies in the most prestigious universities in the world.
"This is why I said folks from where I come from don’t wake up and dream of Harvard or Oxford. It’s typically beyond their ken and it explains why I described my predominant emotion as one of self-perpetuating gratitude."
On whether he was certain Oxford or Harvard would pick him, the young man said it was almost impossible for anyone to be certain as the two schools are the most competitive and challenging LLM programmes for lawyers in the world. He added:
"I admit, though, that I was fairly certain of Oxford because it was the later application and so I was more relaxed, precise.
"Also because Oxford is typically more likely to give you admission if you have my sort of academic track record: a first-class, Best Graduating Student in my LLB at the University of Benin and another first-class degree from the Nigerian Law School with over 19 academic awards put together.
"In fact, Oxford warns against applying for the prestigious BCL Program if you do not have a first-class degree."
Destiny opens up on the reasons he chose Harvard over Oxford
Given the manner he spoke about Oxford, one would have thought Destiny's pick would be the England institution, but that apparently wasn't the case. He shared with Legit.ng three reasons why he selected Harvard over Oxford.
"As a corporate and project finance lawyer, Harvard does it better for me. Harvard is arguably the best place to learn Corporate Finance because it’s sitting in the US and the US is the global heart of financial regulation.
"Secondly, Harvard gave me much more funding which covered pretty much every aspect of my programme and stay in the US.
"Thirdly, Harvard is slightly more likely to edge out Oxford in terms of the capacity for its name to provide more opportunities globally speaking because it boasts of the largest and most closely knit alumni in the world."
See his tweet below:
Netizens celebrate him
@ArmofGodJohn said:
"What can I say....?
"Bro. you got d reward uu deserved,
"I pray God will continue 2 hold ur hands,.... and may uu never b alone in Jesus name ..
"Uur Success--story really inspires me ..... God bless you more Sir."
@Adedeji__O said:
"From Benin, to Lagos to Harvard, Next Destination is the Stars! My Mentor keeps moving!!!
"We dey your back dey follow Sir!!
"Congratulations Sir❤️."
@iamnemzolee said:
"I like your way of life. You don't talk much, you just do your thing low-key and announce your win at the end. I'll take this approach to life henceforth."
@Mr_jaysonomolu said:
"I will tell my kids this story. This is someone I grew up with in Benin City. I remember him and his brother carrying wheel barrow of food every morning to their Mum’s shop. Played football together. Really glad that I know you. I’m motivated. My children must go to school."
Nigerian man bags fully funded scholarship to Oxford
Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that a Nigerian man had bagged a fully funded scholarship to study at Oxford University.
The young man took to his LinkedIn page to make the disclosure, saying he received a fully funded Clarendon Scholarship Award.
Chinedu said he applied for the programme in January 2021 but he kept questioning if he was qualified enough to be admitted into Oxford. In his words:
"Applying for this program in Jan 2021 felt absurd because I kept questioning every fiber in me - wondering if I had what it took to be admitted into Oxford or even the financial resources to sustain my education."
Source: Legit.ng
