Canada _ (Commonwealth Union) _ In this First-Person article, Gideon Christian, who resides in Calgary, recounts a difficult experience he faced during his studies at the University of Ottawa. He explains that two weeks into his studies, he went to the graduate admission office to inquire about the status of his funding application. He had informed the university during his application that he required financial assistance in order to study. The admin assistant informed him that his funding request had been denied. Gideon was taken aback and tried to hold back his tears. He realized at that moment that his studies in Canada were going to be much more challenging than he had initially anticipated.
The author shares a personal story about growing up in a low-income family in northern Nigeria and their journey to pursue higher education. After completing a law degree, the author desired to become a university professor and believed that obtaining a foreign degree would help them achieve that goal. Therefore, the author applied for a master’s of law program at the University of Ottawa, making it clear that they required funding to study.
Upon receiving an admission letter with a funding decision pending, the author was optimistic. They purchased a plane ticket, found a place to stay, and started attending classes. However, the funding decision came back negative, leaving the author in a difficult financial situation. They had no political connections to leverage and were left with limited options. Their savings disappeared, and they could barely afford food. To survive, they turned to the student federation food bank for basic necessities and even began volunteering there to give back.
As the situation became more dire, the author was weeks away from being homeless. This personal story highlights the struggles that low-income students can face when pursuing higher education and emphasizes the importance of financial support for those who need it. The author recounts attending a religious service on a Sunday morning and seeing a familiar face leaving the building. Although struggling to remember how he knew the person, the author yelled his name anyway. The person turned out to be a high school mate from Nigeria whom the author had not seen in 16 years. After the friend introduced the author to his young family, they kindly offered the author a room in their house for four months, which averted his homelessness.
Despite the help, the author’s financial situation continued to take a toll on him, and he began to feel his sense of self-worth slipping away. Poverty made him doubt himself, even though he continued to excel in his studies in Canada. He became reluctant to comment in class, but he refused to give up, knowing that giving up would mean giving up on his dream of becoming a university professor.
