I was two years into my first job after getting my associate degree when I got my first promotion. Then came the news that would begin a wild new journey… My scholarship application had been denied and my dream of moving to the USA as an international student was over.
*Record scratch* *Freeze frame*
You’re probably wondering how I got here. It all started when I decided that I wanted to become a geologist thanks to a story in a local newspaper. I won’t lie, the salary clinched the deal but it was a love for geography and the prospect of a job that allowed for time outdoors that caught my interest at first.
My goal was to be a petroleum geologist but I wanted to keep my options open and train in general geology. That decision meant that I would have to leave Trinidad and become an international student to pursue my career as a geologist. You know that feeling when you see something nice? Then you decide to purchase it and then discover that it’s ridiculously expensive? You know, sticker shock?
A two part strategy
College in the US is expensive. The average cost of one year at a public university with out of state tuition (which virtually all international students are classified as) was $34,220 in 2017. In TTD, that equals $229,274. I had less than 10% of that saved so I knew that I needed to figure out ways to reduce my costs.
Going to community college was my first strategy. Doing an associate degree allowed me to transfer credits to a US institution and pay for just 2 years of school instead of 4. I also found a job after graduating and started saving toward my educational costs.
My second strategy, applying for scholarships, involved a bit more luck. In Trinidad & Tobago there is a governmental division that oversees the granting and administration of scholarships. The Developmental Needs List (which included geology at the time) establishes a hierarchy of study areas that are given priority for funding. I was sure to emphasize the applicability of my study to various areas of need when submitting an application.
How it all ended
I unsuccessfully applied for the same scholarship two times with my confidence of success diminishing with every submission. I’d told myself that the third time would be the last. My career in the environmental sector was doing well and I was in line for a promotion after just two years. My last application was just to be able say that I’d given it my all before walking away for good.
And then the dreaded email came. “We thank you for your time, but you weren’t selected.” It stung, a lot, but I was at peace with it (mostly). Then a few weeks later my phone rings and it’s the scholarships division. There were two awardees that year. One of whom declined the offer, and I was next in line having been third on the list. Who declines a scholarship, like really?! The rest as they say was history: a few months later I would wave my family goodbye and begin my new adventure in California.
NB. If you’d like to see more posts about my journey as an international student, leave a comment below. Check out my other blogs while you’re here.
-KP