A Nigerian graduate, Emmanuel Oluwasayomi Ahmadu, is shining bright in the United States of America despite his rocky start to studying in a tertiary institution in Nigeria.
The young man went viral in 2019 after disclosing how he sat for the West African Senior School Certificate Examination, WASSCE, 18 times before finally gaining admission into the University of Benin to study Mass Communications.
After graduating and going for his mandatory one-year National Youth Service Corps programme, fortune smiled on Emmanuel as his family sent him to study in the United States after getting funds from the Church, Cooperatives and via bank loans.
Emmanuel revealed in an interview that he was admitted into Cleveland State University in 2021 for graduate studies in School Counseling.
Since he began his studies in USA, he has been honored with an academic honorary Doctorate Degree in International Affairs (DIA) from Global Seminary University, New York and became the Student Government President as well as Vice President of the Joint Student Council Board across five campuses of Cuyahoga Community College, Cleveland.
Other numerous awards he received include the “Distinguished Student Leader with a Big Heart” from the College and “Outstanding Mental Health Advocate of the Year” by the Active Minds Organization.
According to him, he currently serves the Federal Government as a Peer Reviewer and Judge with the United States Federal Department of Education for the School-Based Mental Health Services (SBMH) and Mental Health Services Professional Demonstration (MHSP) grant programs.
Speaking on the honours, Emmanuel said; “My remarkable journey from overcoming significant educational and personal challenges to making significant global impacts in mental health advocacy and suicide prevention has earned me these prestigious honors.”
