SC: Hi Danny, pleasure to meet you, can you please tell us about yourself?

Danny: I'm Daniel Nnaemeka Okeke,  a master student at the University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg. My master's program is focused on Modern and Contemporary European Philosophy. I hail from Anambra State, Nigeria and was teaching Government in a secondary school where I lived in Aba, before traveling for my studies this year's September.

SC: It's lovely to meet you Danny. Thank you for your time. Please tell us, what is your background, (school, field, interests)?

Danny: I earned a Bachelor's degree in Philosophy from the University of Ibadan. I have a special interest in culture  - as a window of discussing our identity, in football and also art - particularly paintings of the human body.

SC: Your interests are quite unique. Cool stuff. When did you begin your grad school plans?

Danny: Actually, I had always fantasized being a lecturer or a researcher way back in my sophomore year. I had no clear picture, but after I graduated, I began making some preliminary enquiries. My school friend added me to a "Naija to Germany" student group. Therein, we discussed virtually the prospects of getting to any country through the academic route, especially when the German embassy in Nigeria started their frustrating delays. Alternatives were suggested, including Belgium, Norway and Luxembourg. These are countries with relatively cheap or no tuition fee for international students.

I graduated in 2019. With my experience in the group and some personal efforts, I was able to establish connections with the few Nigerian students in Luxembourg.

SC: Well done! How did it feel at the beginning, considering all the requirements? How many schools did you apply to?

Danny: Coming from a disadvantaged background, it was more like trying to feed 5000 needs with limited resources. 

So, I prioritized scholarships and tuition-free countries. I applied to an Erasmus Mundus scholarship program (GEMMA) but was placed on the reserve list. Then, I got admitted to Ruhr University Bochum, Germany. Got enrolled and did my first semester from Nigeria. However, the embassy wasn't forthcoming with an appointment date for my visa interview, almost six months after booking for one. It's almost a year now, still nothing to show.

I received my admission letter from the University of Luxembourg by the end of May. So, I channeled my energy in that direction. In truth, it was one of the most tense moments of my life.

SC: So sorry about that. Must've been so hard. Congratulations on Luxembourg.

Danny: Well, it's all part of the whole picture. Thank you.

SC: We're proud of you. Did you know of Scholarships Cafe before you started? If no, when and how did you find out?

Danny: Actually, I have always followed the scholarship nuggets of senior scholars on Twitter. Dr. Olumuyiwa amongst others, shared his own experience from South Korea to Germany and now in Canada. 

These individual experiences were inspiring. They'd always ask us to wait for that one "Yes."

It was on one of his scholarship nuggets that I dropped a comment that piqued Dr Olumuyiwa's interest. Surprisingly, he came inbox to ask me how my preparations had been going. I told him that I had my transcripts ready and was already saving up for my passport. 

He asked how much I have saved up, I said N20,000. He asked for the balance and I told him N25,000. Just like a joke, he encouraged me and told me that I would hear from him the following Monday. I was in class writing on the board when the alert dropped. He sent me the remaining balance.

None of my comments suggested someone who needs help, but he came inbox and was particularly interested in my preparations so far.

SC: That was so kind of him. We're half you got your 'Yes'. How did you come across the advert for your present offer? Was SC instrumental to that at any point?

Danny: When it comes to schools, I rely heavily on the whatsapp network of my friends as I had referenced before now. But, Dr. Olumuyiwa personally shared his CV and SOP to me. Although his CV had that aura of experts and professors, his SOP structure was of great help to me.

I benefited so much from his timeline reviews on prospectives' application dossier.

The money that he sent me should count on part of the assistance from Scholarship Cafe as it provided me with the number one document on the list - passport.

SC: Awesome! What particularly in our opinion do you think helped you land your offer?

Danny: My academic background, good grades, and basically the strength of my application dossier.

SC: Nice! What challenges did you face and how did you overcome them?

Danny: I was earning N23,000 as a teacher. So, I had much financial constraints. The most challenging period was getting my passport. I ended up paying about 65k for it and had to take permission from work, traveling to and fro the Immigration office at Uyo. That meant a deduction of 1k per permission granted.

In other areas, I was able to fix myself up using the avalanche of information provided here on Twitter by the likes of Dr. Olumuyiwa. I was able to beat the odds of finance through some kind gestures from friends and senior scholars like Dr. Olumuyiwa. 

SC: It ended well, that's the highlight.  So glad for you. How would you describe your grad school experience since landing your offer? Is it what you envisioned?

Danny: Settling in has been quite challenging. The program is not really an easy nut to crack as it is based majorly on the metaphysics of some of the modern and contemporary European Philosophers. I have the resilience to finish it and take a second master's program at a University in Germany in Sociocultural Anthropology. That's an area I would want to major in for my PhD.

SC: We're rooting for you. How about the culture, people and cost of living?

Danny:Luxembourg is a country with so many immigrants, majorly from sister European countries like France, Germany, and Portugal. As such, they are very receptive and warm in helping out strangers figure out their way. They have a world class public transportation system- Buses, trams and trains. These are free for any human in Luxembourg. The only thing expensive in Luxembourg is the rent. Other stuff like feeding comes cheap.  I stay in the student apartment and it's quite subsidized by the school.

SC: Lovely. Is it a fully funded scholarship?

Danny: No, just tuition free.

SC: So you work to support yourself?

Danny: I have applied for a Student Assistantship position in the History Department. I am waiting for my residence permit from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. I can only sign work contracts with that.

SC: We're rooting for you. Advice for aspiring scholars?

Danny: I would advise young scholars to spread their tentacles wide. You can start your grad school journey from anywhere in the world, so long as you are gaining knowledge and experience, and it's cost friendly  - scholarship or tuition free universities. Leverage the information you find online and use it to your advantage. The worst thing that could happen to your application is a "No." Now, close your eyes and think about the opposite of No. Fire on all cylinders.

SC: Just perfect! Thank you so much. You've been an absolute delight. Scholarships Cafe is really proud of you and we're rooting for you. Feel free to contact us, we'd come through. Cheers.

Danny: Thank you so much for your time and having me share my experiences with you.