Rachael (22) a 2014 scholarship recipient was awarded a First Class Magna cum laude Bachelor of Science Degree in Biochemistry as the best graduating student from Lead City University. She shares her life story and future aspirations below.

My future was never certain since I come from a financially disadvantaged family. I am the third of four children. I am the second university graduate and my family is the first generation to attend university. My older sister was determined to attend university so she struggled to pay her fees by cooking, cleaning, and running errands for people. My father is a carpenter and my mother works as a house keeper. At a point in my life, my father had an accident and due to this he stopped working. Things were really difficult for us. You should imagine a family that feeds from hand to mouth that is the type of family I come from. Sometimes we go to bed without eating anything. But I was very determined and devoted to my academics. I have never allowed the challenges that I face to stop me from always aiming for the best results.

Eventually for me, I read about the Visiola Foundation in a newspaper. I got a full academic undergraduate scholarship from the foundation after applying. I thought I would not be able to further my education because my family only depends on the little my mother earns. The Visiola Foundation paid my tuition fees, accommodation, feeding, and medical insurance. They mentored me and provided me with the opportunity to meet different scientists and successful people in the STEM fields. The Foundation took me to Dakar, Senegal to attend the Next Einstein Forum in March 2016. It was actually my first time on an aeroplane. I met a lot of great scientists that are doing well in STEM and I told myself that one day I will stand in front of 

many people and showcase my work in my chosen field. The Foundation taught me something unique about my field, and has pushed me to discover more about my capabilities and also realise my potential. I was privileged to be one of the facilitators at the annual STEM Summer Camp for teenage girls. In addition, my friend and joint scholarship recipient, Omolara Kassim and I implemented a community project which aims at teaching STEM and mentoring public secondary school students and this helped me develop my leadership skills. I have been transformed from a downtrodden shy girl into a confident woman. My passion to save lives prompted my academic choice of biochemistry. I want to find the cures for many diseases, especially cancer. My interest in the management of diseases skyrocketed the very day I read in a newspaper about the prevalence of cancer in the world. I found out that there is no cure for cancer, and it remains a serious problem despite great progresses in cancer research. The World Health Organisation claims that cancer is a common disease that claims the life of about 7 – 10 million people annually. As a result of this, cancer remains a great medical challenge worldwide. At that point, I became determined to find a means to drastically reduce the prevalence of this deadly condition, thereby saving lives of millions of people that hitherto die because of this ailment. My undergraduate studies at Lead City University, have given me a solid foundation in biochemistry. I learnt the processes of the central dogma of molecular biology where genetics replicates into daughter cells, transcribes into messenger ribonucleic acid and translates into proteins. This process is very interesting, especially the mutation that occurs due to the malfunctioning of DNA replication and through other sources such as radiation, and mutagenic chemicals, this can lead to the formation of many diseases. During my mandatory industrial training at the University College Hospital, I was exposed to some medical laboratory equipment and skills required in carrying out medical tests, and how a typical research environment functions.

I would like to pursue a Masters in Bioinformatics and a PhD in Cancer bioinformatics. I would also like to work on finding therapies and drugs according to the specificities of diseases. I want to be a high profile researcher in the field of bioinformatics. I recently obtained admission to the University of Manchester and I am applying for scholarships to enable me to complete this next phase.

One of the important lessons I have learnt along the way is that “I should never give up.” No matter how the situation looks, I have realised that giving up is not the best option but I should keep pushing and should keep trying hard. There is always a light at the end of every tunnel. Thomas Edison once said, “Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.” I also learnt that, “A dream doesn’t become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination and hard work” (Colin Powell). If you want to succeed in life you have to work hard and go through a process.

Thank you for investing in me!