Millicent Adjubi, a Ghanaian scholar who was denied a US student visa at the embassy in Accra in August 2025 despite holding an admission offer from Clark University on a partial scholarship, has relocated to Canada as a Mastercard Foundation Scholar at the University of British Columbia (UBC) exactly one year later.
From Visa Denial to Fully Funded Scholarship
On August 13, 2025, Adjubi attended her student visa interview at the US Embassy in Ghana. She had already secured admission to Clark University with a partial scholarship and believed she carried a strong personal story. Within minutes, the interview concluded with a denial, and no specific reason was provided.
Rather than abandoning her postgraduate plans, Adjubi redirected her efforts entirely. She began sending out applications in large numbers, reaching out to over 400 professors across various universities in search of assistantships. The rejections were overwhelming, but she persisted, using YouTube tutorials and personal research to refine her approach with each attempt.
Breakthrough at the University of British Columbia
Her persistence paid off in an unexpected way. On August 13, 2026, exactly one year to the day of her visa denial, Adjubi arrived at the University of British Columbia in Canada as a Mastercard Foundation Scholar. The programme is one of the most competitive and fully funded scholarship opportunities available to African students globally.
Adjubi shared the news in a LinkedIn post alongside two photographs: one taken on the day of her visa rejection in 2025, and another from her orientation at UBC in 2026. The contrast between the two images attracted widespread attention online.
"If I could turn a visa denial into a fully funded scholarship at one of the best universities in the world, so can you," she wrote, addressing anyone considering giving up on their own goals. She added that she plans to share the full breakdown of her application strategy, the rejections she faced, and the lessons she learned in future posts.
Public Response to Adjubi's Story
The post drew warm responses from across LinkedIn, with many users sharing their own reflections on perseverance. @Victor Izegbu commented: "C. W. Longenecker: In the poem The Victor, the writer notes that success begins with a person's own will and belief." @Ferdinand Ibezim said: "Never say never. No, sometimes means, 'Not now.' It hardly ever means NEVER FOREVER. This is true in sales. It is even truer in life. Congratulations Millicent Adjubi." @WinniesOdawo added: "A stranger is proud of you for not giving up."
In a related story, Legit.ng reported that a lady had relocated to Canada with her family after two US visit visa denials. Another report covered a lady who was denied Canadian and US visas on multiple occasions and opened up about her experiences, showing the document she received from the US Embassy in Nigeria after her visa was rejected and revealing what she was told during the interview.
