How I got partial scholarship to study IT at Middlesex Varsity ―Rehoboth Micah-Daniels

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17-year-old Rehoboth Micah-Daniels has secured a partial scholarship offer to study for a Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology (IT) and Business Information System at Middlesex University, United Kingdom. In this interview by ADEWUNMI ADEDAYO, the IT enthusiast talks about how he found himself in the IT world, his partial scholarship and the challenges he is facing to achieve his dream in ICT.

Tell us about your background.

I am from Kwara State, but was born in Lagos. I finished my primary school at the age of seven at Suleja Festmed Primary School in Niger State. Then, we moved from there to Ibadan, Oyo State and got enrolled at Baptist Secondary School, where I had my Junior Secondary School (JSS) 1 to JSS 3 classes. During my JSS 3, I started afternoon tutorial classes for West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) and then, I obtained the West African Examination Council (WAEC) GCE form after which I excellently passed my exams in 2017. I completed my JSS3 at the age of 12 years.

Take us through your educational journey after secondary school.

After writing WAEC and passed, I was advised to go to Aptech Computer Educational Institute in January 2018. The school is owned by an Indian and it’s in India, England, and some other countries. The school gives advanced diploma in Software Engineering if one is off-campus (Middlesex University) for a period of two and half years. After this, one is expected to go for a one-year Bsc programme in Software Engineering in the school’s UK campus. Here, I took courses in web and enterprise applications and I was able to complete the course and I graduated for the two and half years period in March 2021.

Each year, the school organises a career quest where representatives come from London, England, India to have a raffle draw. By God’s grace, I was selected to have a 50 per cent scholarship on the tuition.

You also passed seven subjects in your 2017 West African Examination Council (WAEC/GCE), including distinction in Further Mathematics and Physics at the age of 12 years. How did you achieve that feat?

I achieved this with a lot of hard work and studying.

You recently secured a scholarship to study for a Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology (IT) and Business Information System at Middlesex University in the United Kingdom, how did the love for IT start?

I was introduced to IT by the CEO of an IT company and I fell in love with it when we started the coding and programming class. I was so excited when I wrote little programs to instruct the computer and it perfectly worked based on the command.

What do you aspire to be?

I’ve always wanted to study Engineering at a younger age. At the age of nine or 10, I built electronic cars. I aspire to be a robotic engineer, and this is related to software engineering.

What is your motivation?

I am relentless in the pursuit of my dreams. I look up to people in the IT industry like Bill Gates; how he started and where he is now and also, recently, Elon Musk, as regards to my plan to be a robotic engineer.

With a degree in ICT, how do you think you will impact the society?

The course will build on my solid background in software development and combine it with practical experiments to prepare me for the world of work. Past graduates from this course have gained employment with KPMG, IBM, TalkTalk and other prestigious places. I will have access to a wide range of advanced equipment and software, and I can leverage the institution’s interworking labs and high-end simulation software to attain lofty heights in information technology.

For the society, I would create awareness on the importance of ICT and the opportunities that exist there through intensive programmes.

When are you starting your degree at Middlesex University and how do you feel about the scholarship?

The next academic session registration will be starting by September, 2022, while resumption would be January, 2023. I am excited about the scholarship and also see it as a great opportunity and privilege.

What are your challenges?

The scholarship only covers 50 per cent tuition, which is £6,500, N3,267,355 in naira. My parents are low income earners. We are six in the family; my dad, my mum, a girl and three boys. Their income will not be able to sustain my UK academic career. I’m pleading with well-meaning Nigerians to help in any way to contribute to the remaining tuition of £6,500, accommodation and feeding fees for the period of one year of obtaining my Bsc.

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