Gbemisola Taiwo, a Nigerian woman, has recounted how her efforts and sacrifices to pursue a master’s degree in the United States ultimately ended in a heartbreaking visa denial.
In her post on X (formerly Twittter), Taiwo revealed that she diligently saved her entire National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) allowance, alongside a portion of her salary, to fund her U.S. master’s application.
Throughout her service year, she refrained from spending any of her NYSC monthly stipend.
Instead, she added ₦200 from her job each month to her savings, eventually accumulating ₦20,000.
Taiwo explained how she used this money to cover various application expenses, including fees, transcript submissions, and other related costs associated with applying to study in the U.S.
“I didn’t touch my NYSC allowance at all,” she wrote. “At the time, I was working with a company, and I would take out ₦200 from my salary, then add it to the allowance to make it ₦20,000.”
Despite her efforts and sacrifices, Taiwo’s visa application was ultimately denied. “Every single dime was wasted,” she lamented, expressing her deep disappointment and emotional distress. “I cried ehn.”
She continued, narrating how she bounced back from the setback.
“Truth is, I honestly can’t remember the exact “how.” What I do remember is how deeply crushed I was. I felt like I had lost everything. That NYSC allowance meant the world to me. That was the most money I’d ever saved at the time and it was all gone in one moment.
“But life didn’t stop there. I got a job immediately after NYSC, and my starting salary was ₦100k. Slowly, I began to save again. That experience taught me the discipline of saving; even when it hurts. It didn’t work out back then, but those same habits helped me save towards my UK master’s, which I eventually did in 2022.
“And that decision has been one of the most rewarding things I’ve done with my life. Some setbacks come to sharpen you for the next level. And maybe this story didn’t end the way people expected. But that’s life. Sometimes the redirection is the real blessing. Trust me, at the time I thought that was the worst thing to ever go through in life, but the truth? I’ve been through worse and came out of it. God is good!”
About The Author
