Scholarship / Mathematics is a language. I love to create things, to solve problems, and to figure how things work [2]

Prompt: Please provide a personal statement detailing your personal and/or academic goals and how your personal life experience shapes or impacts your hopes for the future.

I am a Nigerian born and raised in Lagos. I love to create things, to solve problems, and to figure how things work. I believe mathematics is a language that solves problems and Physics is everything I do.

I discovered a personal truth, that l have no limitations except those I impose on myself. Everyone brings to the world unique talents, gifts or abilities, and some of mine include my strong will, my creativity and the strong determination to give back the community that raised me up.while in Senior Secondary school, l was in one of the classes of the technology division. It was the norm, that we were bad at english. I was infuriated when our teacher said we were hopeless. I wanted to prove her wrong, and I am happy I did. I am the only technology student to ever score a grade, higher than the credit grade in english, in the history of our school.

During the final year of Junior Secondary school, l was indecisive about the courses I would do in Senior school. I was very good in mathematics and basic technology, but I had just aced the mock literature test, outscoring every one with at least thirty marks. I had also participated in a school band competition. I played the saxophone. Our school came second and the judges applauded the piece I had composed for the band. I met my principal who advised me to go for engineering not because I was good in some subjects but because I loved to create or build things, to solve problems, and to figure out how things worked. He helped me see these, but left me to decide which aspect I would prefer. It took quite a while for me to decide, but I found mechanical engineering which encompassed all my interests.

What is most important to me now would be getting a college degree. My parents never went to college due to financial issues so graduating would mean the world to them. I walk four kilometers just about every day on the streets of lagos, the thick black fumes from cars, trucks, diesel and petrol generators make it hard to breathe sometimes, as well as the noise and diseases they cause. I would like to help in reducing,or perhaps, totally eradicating dependence on fossil fuels for power. After graduating I would want to work in a company that provides power solutions and researches new ways to provide cheap and environmentally friendly power.

Scholarship / The energy crisis in Nigeria has been a concern for both the Nigerian government and the people [3]

Prompt: Highlight what you believe to be the most important issue facing your country today (for example, economic, education, healthcare, social or public policy) and articulate how achieving a Bachelor's degree from the University of Toronto, through the MasterCard Foundation Scholars Program, will empower you to tackle this issue and related challenges, in your home country.

The energy crisis in Nigeria has been a concern for both the Nigerian government and the people for the past four decades. While other countries have long overcome this predicament, Nigeria still looms in pitch darkness. Many businesses are moving away from the country due to inability of the national power supply to meet their demand while homes have had to adapt to the epileptic power supply or in some cases total blackout .

The few companies operating in Nigeria largely depend on the off-grid supply using diesel/gas/petrol-powered electric generators thereby running at huge overhead costs and contributing to greenhouse gas pollution among other harmful environmental problems. According to the Director-General of Centre for Management Development, Dr Kabir Usman in 2012, 60 million Nigerians spend 1.6trillion naira on generators annually. This generators spew out noxious fumes often in unventilated areas. On the street, car emissions go unregulated. The contributing factors to pollution are a reliance on using solid fuels for cooking, burning waste and traffic pollution from very old cars.

Hands-on learning in labs and in field, proficient researching techniques, internships in the real world industries, skills of designing and developing industries and leadership of creative entrepreneurial startups are the elements I am looking for when pursuing mechanical engineering in University of Toronto. I strongly believe I will gather these and more in the four year period from brilliant professors and rigorous, diverse and world-class academic arena of your university. Having those crucial foundations, l would be able to highly reduce pollution and create cheaper power for industries. This would also encourage the growth of more industries aiding the development of my country.

If renewable energy solutions like solar energy, wind power biomass, geothermal energy are added to the present energy supply, more than sixty thousand megawatts or sixty Gigawatts of power required to place Nigeria in the category of industrialized nation can be achieved without significant increase in environmental pollution. Achieving a Bachelor's degree from the University of Toronto would empower me to tackle this issue.

Scholarship / I want to be a part of the development of Africa and contribute to it - this is my responsibility [3]

prompt: Describe your motivation and commitment to return to Africa after graduation and outline a brief proposal detailing your plans for when you return to Africa.

More than fifty percent of the countries with fast growing economies are African, political and economic reforms, have supported this economic growth. Increased consumer and investor confidence, and rising exports, have boosted the economy, argues the World bank. Africa is advancing, catching up with the more developed countries. I want to be a part of the development of Africa, to contribute my own quota which is my responsibility as an African.

My motivation, returning back to Africa after graduating from university of Toronto as a Mechanical Engineer is not just to be of service to my country, but I see it is as the best way I can sate my yearning to give back. Of course there would be difficulties and setbacks, but I believe we only grow when we face our challenges.

After graduating in 2021, I will put into practice the skills and knowledge I have gained from the University of Toronto. However, just after graduation, I am going to work for an energy solutions company in Nigeria, involved in research and development of cheaper and environment-friendly power and also based in other countries of Africa.

The privatisation of the power sector in Nigeria has given rise to various companies now in control of the country's power. However there is still a problem of transmission. By 2026, having gained enough experience, I am going to start my own energy solutions company to tackle the issue of transmission and to provide cleaner and cheaper power to both on-grid and off-grid settlements. I also will raise campaigns to reduce dependence on fossil fuels, to enlighten on the importance of using cleaner energy sources.

In the nearest future, I want to create a school for young innovators that train them with the right skills to become entrepreneurs. I would also want to create workshops for engineering students to give them that hands-on learning which is almost nonexistent in most universities of Nigeria.

With the profits, reputations and experience, I expand my company into a network of multinational branding company across Africa. I will inspire others to innovate by sharing my knowledge in colleges. This way I can help Africa's development.

Scholarship / If I don't get this scholarship, I won't let it deter my hopes and future aspiration [3]

Prompt: If you do not receive the MasterCard Foundation Scholarship, what are your plans for the next four years?

If I don't get this scholarship, I won't let it deter my hopes and future aspiration of changing the situation of things in my community. Over the next four years, I will still strive to gain the best education that I can because I know my dreams are heavily dependent on them. I will work even harder in order to attain my academic ambitions. So, I will continue to learn from the online courses and attend free workshops constructed to help me achieve my personal goals. I will also continue to look into other scholarship programs that may be interested in helping me to fulfill my dreams of getting a college degree. I will not give up on my dreams nor will I be weighed down by it. Although getting a scholarship is not be easy but even if it takes me longer than four years, I am determined to get a college degree and have a rewarding career afterwards.

I am presently a salesperson at a stationery shop, working no less than six hours a day. Although it has helped me with interpersonal relationship and overcoming timidity, I still want to get some programming skills as well as graphic design skills which I am really interested in. I am going to use my savings to get these skills by next year and hopefully serve an internship in a graphic design firm. I would also work freelance to get more experience. This would prove helpful in building myself as a multi-talented mechanical engineer.

Sure working and studying at the same time could have an adverse effect on my academic standing. But as Abraham Lincoln once said ''I walk slowly, but I never walk backward''. Therefore, with or without this scholarship, I will achieve my college dreams and improve the situation of my community. I will just have to work harder and study longer to achieve it. I won't give up by persevering in life, I know that the rewards at the end will be sweeter and well deserved on my part.