News — Scholarship

Nigerian student Victory Yinka-Banjo made headlines in 2020 when she scored straights As in her West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE). Weeks prior to that, she had been rated as the “Top in the World” in English as a second language (speaking endorsement) by the University of Cambridge International Examination (CIE), according to a CNN report. In the Cambridge IGCSE exam, the Nigerian teen acquired A* in all six subjects she sat for, the report added.

Today, the 17-year-old high school graduate has received 19 full-ride scholarship offers from universities across the United States and Canada. Documents cited by CNN show that Victory has been offered more than 5 million dollars worth of scholarship money for an undergraduate program of study.

“It still feels pretty unbelievable. I applied to so many schools because I didn’t even think any school would accept me,” Victory told CNN.

She received potential full scholarships from Harvard College, Yale College, Brown University and Princeton University. Other scholarship offers were from Stanford University, Johns Hopkins University, the University of Virginia, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

In Canada, she was given the Lester B. Pearson scholarship from the University of Toronto and the Karen McKellin International Leader of Tomorrow (KMILOT) scholarship from the University of British Columbia.

Victory was born to Nigerian parents. Her mother, Chika Yinka-Banjo, is a senior lecturer at the University of Lagos while her father, Adeyinka Banjo, is a private sector procurement and supply chain executive. The teenager attributes her academic triumph to parental guidance, faith and hard work. She said her scholarship offers “have made me stand taller, smile wider, and pat myself on the back more often.”

Her hope is to study Computational Biology though she is yet to choose a school. Stanford, Harvard, MIT, Duke, and Johns Hopkins are on top of her list, she said, adding that she is still doing research on them.

Victory’s parents are proud of her achievement, and they are optimistic that her story will encourage other young Nigerians to go for gold. “It is noteworthy that she is not one of the Nigerian-Americans who often get into these schools because of their advantage of being born and bred in the US. She completed her secondary school here [in Nigeria]. It would be great if her story can be used to inspire the youths of our country,” Victory’s mother, Chika, told CNN.

At the age of 15, Jessica Hyatt has already been awarded a $40,000 college scholarship. On top of that, she is just a few ranks away from making history as the first Black woman chess master in the world!

Jessica, who is one of the top 10 Black female chess players in the US, recently received the prestigious Daniel Feinberg Succes in Chess Award which comes with a $40,000 college scholarship.

“I play whenever I get the chance, like in my free time, like during my classes, like sometimes during classes,” Jessica told, noting that she plays at least 5 to 7 hours a day.

Jessica is currently a sophomore at Success Academy, a school known for its exceptional chess program. Five years ago, she met her coaches Tyrell Harriott and David Mbonu, who are both National Masters, the highest level in the US.

To become a chess master, a 2,200 ranking must be achieved. Jessica is already at 1,950.

“I learned the game when I was 15, so for Jessica to be at 1,950, that’s a huge edge,” said Harriot.

With that, she is hoping to become the first Black female chess master.

“There has never been a female Black player to break the master ranking and that’s what Jessica is going for,” said Mbonu.

Even with the pandemic, Jessica continues honing her skills by playing chess online. Her mother, Loy Allen, has been very supportive of her daughter and hopes other young children of color get inspired by her story.

“If your kid’s passionate enough about it, have them go for it because the sky’s the limit, right?” said Allen.

Moreover, after achieving her goal of being a chess master, Jessica dreams of attending college at MIT and plans to teach chess to other children as well.