This is for question one of the Mastercard foundation essay. Please @admin your response will be appreciated.
My father, forced to drop out of school amid financial hardship, invested everything in my education-his greatest legacy to me. That foundation was tested when recurrent academic strikes shut down my school, the University of Lagos, halting classes and crippling research labs. Amid the uncertainty, tragedy struck in 2019 when I lost my twin brother to a sudden illness, a heartbreak compounded by medical bills that drained our savings. Refusing to falter, I turned adversity into motivation: I advanced my learning through free platforms like Coursera and volunteered with the Nigerian Conservation Foundation's coastal initiative, dedicated to preserving Nigeria's fragile shoreline. Through these experiences, I discovered how resilience and education can transform personal pain into purposeful action.
At the University of Lagos, one of Africa's leading institutions, I studied history and strategic studies, graduating in the top 20% of my class. My undergraduate thesis, Tourism Development in Lagos: A Case Study of Elegushi Beach Resort, examined the effects of climate change on coastal tourism, revealing that rising sea level eroded an average of 1.5 meters of shoreline annually. I proposed sustainable interventions such as mangrove restoration, tree planting, and ecotourism hubs.
During the course of my research, systemic challenges, from relentless power outages and financial constraints to limited access to research data, frequently threatened to derail my thesis work. At several points, I had to conduct analyses outside my formal coursework, even borrowing laptops from the school library to access vital information. Yet, I adapted innovatively, sourcing data via open-access platforms like Google Scholar and JSTOR, while collaborating with classmates facing similar hurdles to share resources and insights. This hands-on initiative not only infused my research with authentic, real-world data but also honed essential skills in problem-solving, stakeholder integration, critical thinking, analysis, and data management proficiency. Gradually, my work gained depth and direction, evolving beyond mere documentation of issues. In the end, I developed practical frameworks for sustainable investments, equitable partnerships, and stronger heritage regulations-aiming to safeguard not only formal sites but also informal community spaces that promote sustainability.
My father, forced to drop out of school amid financial hardship, invested everything in my education-his greatest legacy to me. That foundation was tested when recurrent academic strikes shut down my school, the University of Lagos, halting classes and crippling research labs. Amid the uncertainty, tragedy struck in 2019 when I lost my twin brother to a sudden illness, a heartbreak compounded by medical bills that drained our savings. Refusing to falter, I turned adversity into motivation: I advanced my learning through free platforms like Coursera and volunteered with the Nigerian Conservation Foundation's coastal initiative, dedicated to preserving Nigeria's fragile shoreline. Through these experiences, I discovered how resilience and education can transform personal pain into purposeful action.
At the University of Lagos, one of Africa's leading institutions, I studied history and strategic studies, graduating in the top 20% of my class. My undergraduate thesis, Tourism Development in Lagos: A Case Study of Elegushi Beach Resort, examined the effects of climate change on coastal tourism, revealing that rising sea level eroded an average of 1.5 meters of shoreline annually. I proposed sustainable interventions such as mangrove restoration, tree planting, and ecotourism hubs.
During the course of my research, systemic challenges, from relentless power outages and financial constraints to limited access to research data, frequently threatened to derail my thesis work. At several points, I had to conduct analyses outside my formal coursework, even borrowing laptops from the school library to access vital information. Yet, I adapted innovatively, sourcing data via open-access platforms like Google Scholar and JSTOR, while collaborating with classmates facing similar hurdles to share resources and insights. This hands-on initiative not only infused my research with authentic, real-world data but also honed essential skills in problem-solving, stakeholder integration, critical thinking, analysis, and data management proficiency. Gradually, my work gained depth and direction, evolving beyond mere documentation of issues. In the end, I developed practical frameworks for sustainable investments, equitable partnerships, and stronger heritage regulations-aiming to safeguard not only formal sites but also informal community spaces that promote sustainability.
