Scholarship / A clear vision tempered with honesty - the inspiration from my late professor [4]

Describe a figure or movement which has provided inspiration within your life!

Late professor Dora Nkem Akunyili was born on the 14th of July 1954 and died 7th June 2014,aged 59. Her life though considered brief by some impacted greatly on Nigeria as a country and on many individual,including me in a plethora of ways. The inspiration derived from knowing the life and achievement of Dora stemmed mostly from the zeal,honestly,fearlessness and nationalism exemplified by her. An example of her honesty,in 1994,she was diagnosed for cancer and was scheduled for an operation in the USA,but the doctors in the USA deemed the surgery as not applicable. The 12000 USD meant for the surgery was returned by her to the coffers of the Nigerian government. Again in 2001,Dora was appointed to the strategic and very important Nigerian National Agency for Food,Drug Administration and control (NAFDAC) despite objections from certain quarters especially that the cabal in Nigeria who thrived in saturating the Nigerian medication and drug business with fake drugs were from the same igbo tribe as Dora and would intimidate and corrupt her,to the shock of even her biggest skeptics,Dora took the war on fake drugs to the door steps of fake drug dealers using the familiarity she had with the areas they were operating in to defeat them to a large extent.Fake drugs prevalence in Nigeria fell from high of almost 60% to 16.5% of drugs circulating in the Nigerian pharmaceutical market.By 2008,Dora was appointed the Nigerian minister for information ,a position in which she also excelled though not her core discipline.

I am profoundly inspired by the achievement of Dora Akunyili because i have learnt from her that despite the odds and opposition that one faces in life,a clear vision tempered with honesty and equity especially in a country like Nigeria where i hail from has a great effect in enabling one impact ones environment and society.

In Nigeria today,gone are the days when the wicked fake drug producers carry out their evil business without fear,leading to great loss of life in the society.Presently if one buys any drug from the pharmacy,all you have to do is to look out for a PIN number which you scratch out and send to the NAFDAC and you get an immediate reply as to the genuineness of the drug.This has assisted in saving millions of lives in Nigeria.A further inspiration from Dora is that i am now more encompassing in the way i think.I used to look at life from a narrow perspective of myself,my nuclear family but i now look at my fellow human being and appreciate the diversity that exists i my society as well as the fact that honesty,servitude,exemplary behaviour, forthrightness,fairness and equity are attributes that can make one and ones society excel.

Dora Akunyili died on the 7th of June 2014 after a protracted battle with cancer of the ovaries.

Scholarship / My early fascination for computers combined with a strong liking for analytical subjects inspired me [10]

Provide a personal statement detailing your personal and/or academic goals

Goal differs with respect to humanity. Everyone has his/her ambitions and tries to work hard before such goals can be achieved.My early fascination for computers,combined with a strong liking for analytical subjects inspired me a lot. Academically my goal is to become a computer engineer who will meet the demands of the people. Ever since i was a child, i have been fascinated by the capabilities of humans. Unlike any other species,we have the power to create and innovate.I have always found liking in those who can create and captivate.The prodigy of the human mind that amuses me the most is technology.Technology is dynamic. Each day technology changes and the people's demand increases daily, it is the ultimate manifestation of the human mind as it is something completely created by the minds of humans. This fascination is what spurred my interest in the computer engineering field. This field will allow me to aid humanity and to provide hope to mankind.

In this era of information technology,i feel a sense of pride in being so closely associated with this field of computer science. I hail from a very small industrial community where education is given a very high priority. This background inculcated in me a deep inclination for academics from the very beginning. The subjects that attracted me most were mathematics,computer and physics. In order to pursue a career in science and engineering,i am applying for this scholarship at the University of Toronto. My main goal is to get an overview of various fields in computer science and identify a field of interest in which i can pursue my career. Within a decade or so i visualize myself as a full-fledged computer engineer in an organization or a faculty member at one of the leading universities. There are few things i value so much and i strongly believe in them,these are hard work,discipline and persistence,and am still working towards them to achieve a better me.

My reason for applying for an undergraduate scholarship at the university of Toronto was after i had gone through the school brochure and realized there also exists a vast gamut of opportuinities,especially excellent computer facilities which suits my interest extremely well.

In conclusion, i am fully aware that to pursue this career,i require a constant,well-directed and whole-hearted effort. I am confident that i would meet all the above demands. Hence i appeal to the mastercard foundation to consider me for admission and financial aid.