Through It All

"We went through the fire and through water, but you brought us out into a fruitful place."

 Psalm 66:12. 

I started my job at Enbridge June 2nd, 2014. I still remember my cubicle on the 17th floor of the Enbrige Place high-rise building. My job was great and my bosses were very impressed with my work. Almost two months into my job at Enbridge, I got a phone call from Intelligent Imaging Systems where I had applied for work prior to my interview at Enbridge. They were looking to hiring a Data Analyst with Cognos experience and they were interested in interviewing me for the position. I had many years of Cognos experience, plus it was a permanent job so I decided to give it a shot. I was offered the job shortly after the interview. My goodness, I was confused!! I kept asking God, if I should keep the job at Enbridge, or accept the job at Intelligent Imaging, and God was silent! I had to trust God that whichever one I chose was going to be His will for me. I decided to leave Enbridge and accept the Intelligent Imaging Systems job because it was a permanent job, but unfortunately I realized that after I had started the job in August 2014 that what was advertised on the job ad was not quite what I was assigned. I was supposed to be the Data Analyst, but I ended up doing more of Business Intelligence work on the backend with a database system I was not too familiar with. There was quite a learning curve, and two months later, I was fired.

It was a horrible feeling waking up the next morning without a job and feeling like a failure. Suddenly I began to really miss the good old Charleston days and my job at College of Charleston. "God say something!" I would cry out to God day and night. "God did you bring me here to put me to shame? I was comfortable in Charleston, I had a good job. Why did this happen to me?!" All I heard was, "Trust me!" Many times, I was reminded of the scripture that says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your path." Proverbs 3:5. I held on to God's word and like David, I encouraged myself in the Lord. What I later realized was that none of those jobs were part of God's long-term plan for me and though it really did hurt to loose my job, everything was working perfectly according to God's plan.

For almost a year, I was home with 2 year old Ethan. I had applied for all types of jobs under the sun, yet there were no phone calls. Early 2016, I got a call from Diversified Staffing Agency out of no where to come by their office, drop my resume, and do a quick interview with one of their recruiters so that a file could be created for me and they would try to get me a job with one of their clients. For months, I didn't hear back from Diversified Staffing. In August 2016, one of my church friends told me they were hiring at her workplace. She spoke to her boss on my behalf. I was invited for a brief interview and was hired on the spot as a Customer Representative at Money Mart. Three months into the job, I received an email from Diversified Staffing about a temporary Technical Coordinator position with one of their clients the very next day. When I asked who the client was, I was gasped when I was told it was Alberta Health Services (AHS). I had been trying to get a job a AHS since I moved to Canada. The interview was the most casual, and quickest interview ever. As soon as I got home that day, I got an email from Diversified Staffing saying that I got the job. I was so excited!!

I started working with Alberta Health Services in October 2015 with the Information Technology Department. I absolutely loved working as a Technical Coordinator as it entailed working directly with clinicians and hospital clerks while implementing our legacy Electronic Medical Record System called eCLINICIAN. Meeting new faces everyday was one of the most exciting aspects of the job for me. About two weeks after my first day at AHS, I found out I was pregnant with my second child. As soon as I found out, I was like, "God, REALLY? I literally just started this job and it's temporary!" I knew that as a temporary staff, going on my maternity leave would signal the end of my job and they were going to hire a replacement as soon as I left. Also, nine months was probably not enough time to try to secure a permanent job with AHS before my maternity leave and so I had to trust God's timing, and surrender my own plans and submit entirely to God's plans for me amidst the uncertainty of my future with AHS. My prayer everyday was simple - "God let you will alone be done." Two months prior to maternity leave, God revealed to me my future at AHS in a dream. In the dream, I saw myself sitting on a table with my colleagues wearing an AHS name tag rather than the Diversified Staff name tag that I had. From that day on, each time I stepped in/out of our building downtown, I would whisper to myself, "I'm coming back here after maternity leave!" One month to my due date, towards the end of May 2016, I stopped working based on my doctor's recommendation. I still remember my last day - two weeks after our eCLINICIAN go-live at Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital, I received a farewell card from my colleagues. As I read the card filled with best wishes with the new baby and future endeavors, I said in my heart, "No, not good bye, but see you next year. I shall be back!!" Some colleagues came up to me to say goodbye and good luck and then gave me a weird look whenever I said, "oh no, I'll be back next year." LOL. I didn't know how it was going to happen, but I believed without a doubt that what God revealed to me would come to pass.  

June 2016, Azarel was born. Nothing could possibly describe the joy I had to finally hold him in my arms. I spent a whole year at home with my two boys - my two kings. During that time, I would wake up super early every morning before the kids woke up and head down to my home gym in the basement working out and crying out to God for 1 hour while I watched the kids through a baby monitor. So many prayers were answered as a result of those early morning workouts and time alone with the Lord. Eleven months into my maternity leave, a colleague from AHS added me on Facebook. I reached out to him to find out if there was any openings on the team and he told me that unfortunately there was none at the time. A week later, he sent me a job ad for a 6 months temporary Learning Analyst position with AHS IT and encouraged me to apply. I applied. He spoke to the manager about me and put in a good word for me. I was invited for an interview and few days later, I got a call from the manager saying that I got the job. Few days after accepting the job, I got a call from Alberta Blue Cross about a Reporting Analyst position, but I turned down the interview invite. My husband thought I was crazy. I remembered the revelation I had about becoming an AHS staff so I went with the 6-month temporary job at AHS. I was covering for a lady who had gone on maternity leave and had returned to another position on the same team and also covering for another lady on maternity leave. Confusing huh? So, it turns out that the lady she was covering for decided to accept a permanent position elsewhere, so the lady I was covering for became permanent in her position. Subsequently, my position opened up and I had the opportunity to apply to become a permanent staff in my role. Five months after accepting the temporary job, I became a permanent AHS staff. Exactly one year later, I applied for another job within the AHS IT department and went from being a Customer Support Analyst II to becoming an IT Analyst II (Application Coordinator) doing exactly what I love. These days, 3 years later, I occasionally take a look at my AHS name tag and have a flashback. God is so good. I love my job, I love my organization, and I love my colleagues. I love that I get to make a difference for Albertans by building and supporting a system that is used to make health information easily assessible to health providers across Alberta. My job encompasses everything I prayed and believed God for. Every path God took me through to get to this point was totally worth it. God is not done ordering my steps. Greater things are on the way. There are many more promises yet to be fulfilled and I know that there shall be a fulfilment of everything God has promised. So in the meantime, all I do is trust God, allow Him to guide me, and listen for that still small voice saying, "This is the way, walk in it."

The end, for now :-). Thank you for reading!!!

Canada, Here We Come!

It was October 2013. I stood by the door of my almost empty apartment as I inspected the living room reminiscing about the amazing memories from my three years in my cozy apartment. My furniture had all been listed on craigslist and buyers had bought almost all of the furniture except a few ones left. I looked down as I cradled my growing baby bump and gave it a gentle rub. I even felt a little kick. I smiled. "I hope Canada will be good to us little one!" I whispered. I was 7 months pregnant and couldn't wait to meet my little boy in just two months. My life was about to change in many ways. It was my last day at work a few days earlier. My colleagues had thrown a baby shower/send off party for me. It was an emotional day. My former professors came, former bosses and colleagues from the Graduate Admissions office, Undergraduate Admissions office, and Information Technology office came. Colleagues from the Institutional Advancement office came. Coworkers from across the hall came just because they were going to miss the girl they crossed paths with often on the hallway with the warmest smile. I was touched. Everyone took turns presenting gifts and gave the sweetest farewell speeches. I was overwhelmed by all the love and was truly going to miss working at the College of Charleston. Great memories I would cherish for a lifetime! As I stood by the door reminiscing, I heard the door bell. I opened the door - It was my friend Marcelle (not her real name), one of my closest friends since undergrad.

Marcelle walked into my apartment and looked around. Wow! "You've sold almost everything! So, this is really happening! I'm so happy for you Sana. You now have the life you've always wanted. Your life has changed so much this past year. First, you got married, now you're about to become a mother. So happy for you!" She said. We sat down for a few minutes and chatted. Then Marcelle purchased a few items, we said goodbye, and she was gone shortly after. It had been an emotional week saying goodbye to my friends in Charleston. I was a bit apprehensive about starting over in a new country and having to make new friends. I absolutely loved everything about Charleston, but I knew that moving to Canada was God's will for me, so I had no choice but to embrace all the challenges that would come with starting all over in a new country. Few days later all the furniture were gone, my apartment was cleaned, and all I had left were boxes of clothes and books. I loaded up the boxes into my Toyota Corolla and drove 2 hours to Columbia. In a few days, I would be moving to Canada to join my husband. I could barely wait!

It was November 5th, 2013. After a series of uncomfortable flights, and fearing that I would go into labor mid-air, I landed in Canada. It felt so surreal. I passed through all the airport checkpoints and finally arrived at baggage claim and there he was! My husband! After doing the long-distance thingy for so long, we were finally together. I was beyond happy. We embraced. Shortly after, we claimed my luggage, loaded everything up in the car and we were on our way to our home, my new home! :) I peered outside that night as we drove home and realized there wasn't much difference from South Carolina where I spent 12 years of my life. Ermmm… actually, there was a big difference; it was white everywhere. "Wow! Snow!" I said with all amount of excitement. In 12 years, I had only seen snow in South Carolina 3 times. "Oh, it's so pretty. I love snow!" I said. My husband laughed. "Wait till you start driving here, you will hate it." He said. My husband was right. Now each time it starts snowing, I feel the urge to scream, "Nooooo…" so loud till it echoes all over the earth planet lol. I went from one extreme, to another. The things we do for love! LOL!

A month and a half later, my baby boy was born. Ethan - that's what we named him. I was in love! He was the most precious little baby ever! My mother came to Canada for one month to help with the baby and then returned to the United States. Six months later, my husband travelled to Nigeria to bring his mother to Canada to help with the baby. I decided to apply for work since I was going to have some help with the baby. By the time my husband returned from Nigeria with his mother, I had landed a contract job with Enbridge working as a Data Analyst. I remember the shock when I told my husband that I had gotten a job with Enbridge Pipelines while he was still in Nigeria. From the way he sounded, I could tell it was a pretty big deal. I remember getting a message on LinkedIn from a recruiter about the job asking me to apply if I was interested. I was invited for an interview shortly after applying. The interview was the best I'd ever had. The panel kept nodding and saying "wow" to everything I said. They were so impressed that they made it clear at the end of the interview that I was their best candidate so far, and their last candidate, *wink wink* :). I will never forget getting a call from the recruiter few days to my birthday informing me that I had gotten the job. I dropped my six-month old baby in his crib then jumped and screamed, "Thank you Jesus!!!" God granted me favor that I was able to get my very first job in Canada with a company I never imagined. The best part was that it came with ease - nothing but the hand of God!

To be continued...

Taking Possession

I woke up to the church bells that beautiful summer morning. I got prepared and dashed out for my 15 minute walk to campus. Everything felt different that morning. The morning light shone brighter. The air was crisp with the compelling tang of the ocean a few blocks away. The birds chirped and sang in the glow of the daylight. I hummed a sweet tune as I waltzed my way to campus that morning to begin my new job. Finally, I could see a ray of sunshine after three tumultuous years as a graduate student. Finally, I felt like my worst days were behind me, and better days were within reach. My joy knew no bounds.

It was about three months since graduation. My two jobs in the Information Technology Department and Institutional Research Office were going great. I had a few months left on my contract with the Institutional Research Office, but I had a strong feeling that something big was ahead. I prayed daily for the Lord to continue to fulfil his promise of keeping me in constant celebration. August 2010, I finally moved out of the bedroom I was renting downtown into my very own apartment. I started out with no furniture, but I had never been happier to sleep on the carpet lol. The best part of this apartment was the kitchen. I finally had a kitchen!! I no longer had to cook with crock pots and table-top stoves like I did in my little room during grad school. My friend at work who was like a mother to me brought me every single item I needed for my kitchen - pots, pans, kettle, cooking spoons, chopping board, plates, cutleries, I mean every single thing one would need in a kitchen! That was a huge blessing! Gradually, I was able to furnish my new apartment. See some pictures below.

Living Room

Living Room

Dining and Kitchen

Bedroom

In 2009, shortly before my former boss left the college, a Data Analyst position had been created at the Institutional Research Office and the position was filled. At the time, I was still a student, so I couldn't apply for the full-time position. In August 2010, the guy who was hired decided to resign and seek other opportunities elsewhere as he felt the position was not exactly what he was trained for in graduate school. At the time, I didn't have an office and my desk was in a corner in the hallway of our office suite, so I was asked to move into his office temporarily until his replacement was hired. I remember that day vividly. I moved most of my stuff into the office and once everything was set-up and arranged, I closed the door slightly, then I stood up and decreed, "Father, you said in your word that wherever the soles of my feet tread, it belongs to me. So Lord, I decree that if this job is for me, I will remain in this office and this job will be mine in Jesus' name, Amen." Soon the job ad was posted. I started hinting to my Acting Director that I was interested in applying for the Data Analyst job. I will never forget what she said to me one day. "Sana, you are very smart and you learn really fast. I should warn you though that if you apply for this job, we will definitely receive applications from more qualified candidates with more experience and we intend to hire the most experienced person." Upon hearing this, I decided not to apply... yet. I prayed a simple prayer, "God, if this job is for me, no one will qualify for this job." 

I was added to the interview panel for the Data Analyst position after I indicated that I would not be applying for the job. I laughed within me when I started reviewing the applications. The candidates for the job were not even remotely qualified for the job. Bartenders applied, people with History, Fine Arts degrees with absolutely no IT background applied. The other two people on the panel felt it was a joke. "How come there is not one single person qualified for this job among the candidates?" One of them asked. I shared their sentiments but within me, I perfectly understood that the hand of God was at work. None of the candidates were invited for an interview and the job ad was posted again, same thing. At this point, people were stopping me around campus and asking me why I didn't apply and I would make up a little excuse. The job ad was posted the third time and the application deadline was a bit further than usual. This time, there were three people who were just a bit qualified but did not have the experience that was required. We decided to interview the three candidates. After all the interviews, it was decided that one of them would be hired. Just before my boss made the call to the successful candidate, she decided to look him up online and what she saw about the guy was very discouraging, and so she decided not to hire the guy. We decided to post the job ad again the fourth time. But this time, my boss was really discouraged regarding the pool of candidates we were getting. One day, she called me to her office and said to me, "Sana, we cannot find a more qualified candidate than you. We really want you to apply." I applied and just before my work contract with Institutional Research was to expire, I was offered the permanent job as a Data and Reporting Analyst to the glory of God. I was finally able to use the SAS programming training I got at the office as a student worker. The office I occupied became mine permanently, my salary was doubled, and my life changed for the better. Months later, I bought a brand new Toyota Corolla. See pics below.

My mother taught me an important lesson right from when I was a little girl. I watched life throw punches at my mother, yet she never allowed life to break her. She never allowed her situation to reflect on her countenance. She spent time constantly in the word and on her knees. That's where she drew her strength from. My mum taught me that the moment you allow situations and circumstances shake you, or stop you, the enemy is winning. She taught me to be strong, tenacious, and to keep moving forward in the midst of adversity. My mother taught me to never give up and to fight until I win. There were moments I could have given up in Charleston, but I knew that God took me to Charleston and He had great plans for me there, so I decided  to constantly decree the word of God over my life and take possession of all the Lord had in store for me in Charleston. God has been faithful to me. He brought me praise and fame in the land where I was put to shame. He gave me double for my trouble. I encourage you today not to quit. Decree the word of God over your life, get on your knees and pray daily and take possession of everything God has promised you. Don't quit until you win!

I remained in my position as a Data Analyst for almost 3 years until I moved to Canada to join my husband. Wait until you hear my Canada story, you will attest that God was just getting started with me in Charleston!

To be continued...

Great Manifestations Part 2

They say life is unpredictable. Sometimes God shows us a glimpse of the big picture, or clues about what the future will look like. If you are like me, you put the little clues together like a puzzle and come up with a picture of your future that pales in comparison to what God has in store. This sums up my Charleston story. I occasionally imagined what my future in Charleston would look like based on what God promised, and the revelations I had. But when God began to unveil His plan, I marvelled because His plans for me were greater and much more beautiful than what I could've ever imagined. Spring 2010, my last semester in graduate school started out with some members of the College of Charleston administrative staff coming together to raise money to pay off my tuition debt. Already God had started fulfilling His promise of keeping me in constant celebration in 2010. 

Few weeks into the semester, the Undergraduate Admissions office heard about my Cognos reporting skills and decided to also hire me as their Cognos Report Writer. However, I was working for two other offices on Campus. All three offices decided to meet and make a decision on how to utilize me and share me between the three offices if I was onboard. A proposal was made and I was totally onboard with it. The Institutional Research Office, Graduate Admissions Office, and the Undergraduate Admissions Office decided that it would make more sense to work for them from a single office. I was assigned my own office in the Undergraduate Admission Office building where I worked with very little supervision. I was told that there was a possibility of getting a job with any of the three offices after graduation. 

Few weeks prior to graduation, the Acting Director of Institutional Research called me into her office and told me that she would like to offer me a six-month part-time temporary job as a Cognos Report Writer after graduation and that another executive on campus, the Vice President of Fiscal Services was interested in also offering me a part-time temporary job to write financial analysis reports in Cognos for the Fiscal Services office for a year, and my office was going to be based in the Information Technology department. I also became one of the two Cognos experts on campus who was the go-to person for help with complex Cognos reports for the entire college. I was to divide my time equally between both offices. These positions were created for me and none of them required an interview. However, my Acting Director told me that the VP for Fiscal Services had arranged to meet me along with my Acting Director for lunch at the Francis Marion Hotel restaurant the next day just to get to know me before I commenced work. I was extremely nervous meeting someone of her calibre for lunch, but it went better than I expected, and before I knew it, I signed two contracts to begin work shortly after graduation. Little did I know that this was just a stepping stone to something even greater that God had in store for me at College of Charleston. You will read about this in my next blog post. The Undergraduate and Graduate Admissions Offices were a bit disappointed as they were also looking into hiring me. 

Graduation Day came, May 7th 2010. A day I won't forget in a hurry. I walked across the stage of the beautiful Sotille Theatre at College of Charleston and received my Master's Degree in Computer and Information Science before my family, friends, and those who had initial doubts that I would succeed in the Computer Science graduate program. "Sana Ndon!" my name was called as I walked across the stage and my family, friends, and professors cheered and screamed! I thought my heart would burst from excitement. After the toils and tears, I finally graduated! After the graduation ceremony, the graduates and their families were entertained in a beautiful garden beside the Sotille Theatre. I walked around the garden shaking hands and thanking the professors who taught me during my graduate program. I was just about to walk out of the garden with my family when I saw a familiar face walking towards me with a big smile on his face. My Java professor - the man who tried to discourage me when I was struggling with my Java course at the very beginning and drove me to tears. "You know I wouldn't miss your graduation for the world! I'm so proud of you. Congratulations!" He said as we shook hands. "So Sana, what's next after graduation?" He asked. I told him about my job offers and then he looked at me with a more serious face after congratulating me on the job offers and then said, "Sana you have taught me a big lesson on faith these few years I've known you. Wow! Look at all you endured to get to this point, yet you did not give up. I really admire your faith!"

To be continued...

Great Manifestations

It was almost the end of another successful semester. I was sitting by my little desk in the corner of an office shared with the Director of Graduate Admissions, Ms. Heather. I was about five months into my job as the Cognos Report Writer for the Graduate Admissions Office. As I sat by my desk, I began to have a depressing feeling that I couldn't shake off. My mind drifted and I began to reflect on the semester. My Fall 2009 courses were successful. I had very good grades the entire semester. At the Institutional Research Office where I worked part time, I was becoming an expert with SAS programming and Cognos. My boss even got me to learn a new application - Microsoft Access. He assigned me a project that semester that involved building an Access database that housed Adjunct Staff Funding information for the Provost in the office of Institutional Planning, and a data entry form using Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) for the Adjunct database. I enjoyed working on this project and was very proud of my work. It had been a very successful semester so far, but I just couldn't shake off the depressing feeling that day at the Graduate School Office. I was really behind on my school fees. This time, I was starting to loose hope on how I would clear my debt, and raise tuition funds for the following semester. Spring 2010 was going to be my last semester in graduate school. I was so close to the finish line and had come this far, but was at the brink of loosing hope because of my finances. Then an idea came to mind; I wasn't too excited about the idea, but it somewhat put my mind to rest - I was going to take a break from graduate school for a semester and try to raise money to clear my tuition debt and then return to school in the Fall.

Ms. Heather, the Graduate School Director was knee-deep into her work that day processing graduate admissions applications. She had the kindest heart and was so easy to talk to. "I have to tell her!!" I thought. So, I turned to Ms. Heather, "Please can I talk to you about something? Do you have a moment?" "Absolutely dear! What's up?" When she saw the concern in my eyes, she knew something was wrong, so she got up, shut the door to the office, pulled her chair close and gave me her full attention. "I don't think I will be returning next semester. I am owing so much in school fees already and I'm not sure how I will pay my tuition next semester." I said with tears in my eyes. "Oh dear, come here!" She said as pulled closer and gave me a comforting hug. Then she pulled away and said to me, "Don't give up. You will be back next semester and you will graduate. Everything will work out somehow, okay?" "Okay!" I said, wiping the tears from my eyes. Her words were comforting, yet, I was still determined to take a semester off.

Few days later, I walked into the Institutional Research office one morning. I peaked into my boss's office and greeted him. I was just about to head to my desk, but I noticed that something was oddly unusual about my boss's office. There were a few boxes on the floor and some of the books on one of his book shelves were packed into a box. I was confused and so I made a mental note to ask my co-workers what was going on, and then headed to my desk. Later that day, I got the most unexpected news that left me utterly sad and confused - My boss had accepted a new job in another state and was leaving College of Charleston.This man had been a tremendous blessing to me since I started working at the Institutional Research office. This was when I needed him most. He was going to help me get a job at the college after graduation, but now he was about to leave. Later in the evening, I laid down on the hammock in my balcony at home with a million thoughts on my mind. God why is my boss leaving now? "What's going to happen to me? How am I going to get a job at the college after graduation?" I asked God. Then, I heard the still small voice of God in my spirit saying, "I can use anyone to help you. Put all you trust in me and not man." I repented immediately for having more faith in a person's ability to help me more than God.

Prior to the end of the semester, during my devotion one day, the Lord spoke to me regarding the year 2010. He told me that 2010 was going to be My Year of Great Manifestations. The Lord said that in 2010, I would be overwhelmed by a series of events, one after the other. The blessings, favor, and breakthroughs would seem endless because just when I thought the greatest thing has happened, something greater would pop up. The Lord also said that in 2010, I would be in constant celebration. I wrote these down on my prayer journal. Soon, the Fall 2009 semester came to an end, and I returned to Columbia for the Christmas holidays. The new year arrived and by the second week, school was back in session for the Spring 2010 semester. I was reluctant to return to school due to my financial issues. I was still contemplating taking the semester off. I missed the first week of school and the two offices I worked for became concerned. The Acting Director of Institutional Research reached out to me the second week of school to enquire about why I had not returned to school and I told her that I was contemplating taking the semester off for financial reasons. She told me she would see how she could help. The Acting Director scheduled a meeting with the staff of both the Graduate Admissions office, and the Institutional Research office - both offices I worked for. They brainstormed on ways they could raise funds for me so that I could return and complete my graduate program. Several people in both offices promised to pay some amount towards my tuition debt. They even reached out to people in other administrative offices who also agreed to help me. Several people went to the financial services office and made payments towards my school fees. The Provost whom I created the Adjunct Faculty Funding Database for contributed $2,000 upon hearing about my situation and that I was the person who created the database and data entry form for her office. When I received the phone call about the overwhelming show of love and support, I was moved to tears and was so grateful. "Come back to campus Sana! We've settled your debt," my new boss said.

To be continued...

Just Like Heaven

It was Summer 2009, my very first summer in Charleston. The weather was getting torrid and summer activities were in full swing. Summers in Charleston were absolutely my favorite. It was like God hand-picked everything I loved and put them all in one place. Everyday was an adventure. Saturday mornings were spent at the farmer's market at Marion Square Park a few blocks from my house. The farmer's market was an event that was held every Saturday morning as an opportunity for local farmers to sell their fresh produce. The best part of the farmer's market was purchasing food sold by a variety of food vendors and then sitting down in the park and enjoying live band performances. Saturday afternoons were spent taking long walks with friends at Folly beach or Isle of Palms beach, or cozying up in my room reading one of Karen Kingsbury's Christian novels. Some evenings were spent watching movies under the stars until mosquitoes started invading my space, or attending outdoor events like jazz on the pier, salsa on the pier, and reggae concerts. My favorite reggae concert was part of the Spoleto festival. Spoleto festival is an annual music and arts festival that brings artists from all over the United States like Broadway performers, comedians, singers, actors and actresses, and top names in the fashion industry to Charleston. I remember in Summer 2009, this male Broadway singer from New York rented a space in the same house where I lived for a month during the Spoleto festival as he was part of several Broadway shows in Charleston. Every morning, he would wake up bright and early and sit in his room or in the balcony and warm his voice, or practice for his show. He had a sweet operatic voice. I felt like I had a front-row seat to his concert everyday. I would clap softly in my room after each performance. "Bravo!!", "Bravo!!" I would say while applauding and would hope he didn't hear me across the hallway. He sang so beautifully that sometimes a teardrop would escape from my eyes, especially when he sang Ave Maria. He had such a high range and would sing at a high pitch and I would worry that his voice would cause the windows to shatter just like in the movies. I was always curious what the neighbours thought about our new super-talented friend. Summer 2009 in Charleston felt just like heaven. I enjoyed every bit of it!

At work (Institutional Research Office), I spent the entire summer learning something new and exciting. The college was in the process of moving away from a centralized data reporting structure where most reports came from our office, to a more decentralized data reporting structure where most non-teaching staff offices would be responsible for producing their own operational reports in a data reporting tool called Cognos. During the summer, most staff were in all-day Cognos training while I held the fort at the office. One day, my boss came by my desk after his training and dropped a huge Cognos training binder on my desk and told me, "I think you should learn this, it will be useful in future." I started learning Cognos like my life depended on it. I used my programming knowledge from graduate school to write code within Cognos to perform complex statistical analysis. With time, I became really good with Cognos and would occasionally do a little demo for my boss to share how much I was getting proficient with Cognos. He was impressed with how fast I learned it. As a result, I was invited by my boss to join the school's reporting team committee responsible for making decisions primarily regarding transitioning to the new reporting tool. I started networking with top executives in other administrative offices who were part of the committee. Later that year in the Fall semester, I got a Graduate Assistantship job with the Graduate Admissions Office and was initially responsible for helping in organizing graduate application materials and answering phones. I was still working part-time at the office of Institutional Research Office. One day, my boss from Institutional Research went over to the Graduate Admissions Office and told them how good I was with Cognos and that instead of making me answer phone calls, they should make me their Reporting Analyst. The Graduate Office loved the idea and moved me from the front desk to my own desk and made me their Reporting Analyst responsible for creating their operational reports in Cognos.

Once again, God ordered my steps so strategically in a way I never envisioned. God used my Cognos experience to open doors for me at College of Charleston in a mind-blowing way. I thank God for using my boss as my destiny helper in those days. I pray that God will cause your destiny helpers to locate you and grant you favor before them. May the Lord equip you so that you will be ready for the opportunities and open doors He has prepared for you. The best is yet to come! Watch out for the next blog post. The story gets even better!!

To be continued...

Double For My Trouble

It was almost the end of the Fall 2008 semester. It was quite a whirlwind with tons of papers due, and final exam preparations, but I was completely oblivious of the series of events that were about to unfold. The devil had some plans up his sleeves. While the devil was planning, and getting his team together and getting ready to strike, God was also planning to bring the plans of the enemy to nought and so He began to get His team together to frustrate the enemy's plans and turn them in my favor. One day, I was heading to my department to see one of my professors. As soon as I stepped into the J.C Long building, an older black man stepped into the building seconds later. I pressed the elevator button and then noticed that the man was waiting for the elevator too and couldn't take his eyes off me. "I know you from somewhere." He turned and looked at me. I turned around and looked at him and the face didn't look familiar. "Hmmm... I'm not very sure we've met before." I said. "Are you part of the Charleston Nigerian Association?" He asked. "No, sir! I know very few Nigerians here and I haven't attended any of the Nigerian Association events here in Charleston." I replied. The man was still convinced he had met me before and kept trying to place the face. Then he extended a hand... "I'm Dr. Edozie (Not his real name) with the History department. I'm from Nigeria." He introduced himself and then we shook hands... "I'm Sana, from Nigeria as well." "Wow, you don't say?! Do you have sometime? I would like to show you my office." We were heading to the same floor, so I obliged. We got to know more about each other and when we got to his office, he handed me his business card and said, "If you ever need anything, don't hesitate to call me, email me, or stop by my office." I thanked him and left the office. What I didn't know at the time was that this meeting was ordained by God, and the timing in which we met was absolutely perfect for what was about to happen.

On December 15th, 2008, after my final exams, a professor from my department forwarded me an email from one of the administrative offices about my financial situation and my inability to complete my tuition payment for the Fall semester. According to the email, the administrative staff had spoken to someone from the financial aid office and the financial aid representative said that the amount I was owing couldn't be rolled over to the Spring semester, and that they discovered that I was allowed to be put under a payment plan which according to them was illegal under federal law for foreign students. As a result, my debt from the Fall semester, and the Spring semester were due on the first day of the following semester before I would be allowed to attend classes and failure to do so would result in me potentially losing my status as a graduate student. The professor said in his email that based on the forwarded email, I may be running out of options and that I should go and talk to the parties involved to see if they would be willing to put me on a payment plan the next semester. I was alone in my room when I read the email and began to laugh hysterically. Then I got up and began to address the enemy. "Satan, you don't know who you're messing with! I'm a child of the Most High God and you're going to loose this battle!!" Immediately, a song by Clint Brown came to my spirit, and I sang it over and over again. "I have a friend His name is Jesus... He's the one, that I lean on, He's the shelter from every storm, I have a friend, His name is Jesus. Let the wind blow, let the rain fall, there is a place that I can go. I have a friend, His name is Jesus."  I sent a reply to the professor who forwarded the email and said, "It may look like I'm out of options, but when I am down to nothing, God is up to something!" The following day, I went to the financial aid office to speak with one of the executives regarding the email I had received and asked if there was any way he could make an exception and allow me continue with my payment plan, but he was adamant.

Few days later, I travelled back to Columbia for the Christmas holiday. I spent quality time with my family and they were completely unaware of what was going on. My parents were still paying tuition for two of my siblings in college and there was no way I was going to make my tuition their responsibility too. The new year 2009 came and as usual, I spent the first week in prayer and fasting about the new year and regarding my graduate school tuition and the false federal regulation that was made up to make it difficult for me to return to College of Charleston. Several days into my fasting and prayer, the Spirit of God told me to sit up and that He had a plan concerning my situation at school. Do you remember the Nigerian man you met at your school recently? Forward him all the emails you've received from all the parties involved. Let him know what is going on. The Spirit of God instructed me. I forwarded all the emails to Dr. Edozie immediately and informed him about what was going on. Dr. Edozie replied shortly and expressed how sorry he was about my situation. He also said he was not aware of such a law and that he was going to look into the matter. Dr. Edozie reached out to someone in the office of International Programs and asked if the regulation existed, he even reached out to someone from the Avery Research Center at the college, and they confirmed that such a regulation never existed. At this point, emails were flying back and forth and soon word got to the parties involved that they were being investigated. As soon as they were aware, I received an email from the professor who forwarded me the email saying that he had been looking for ways to help and that I should return to Charleston and see him. The financial aid representative called and explained that the law preventing foreign students to make payment plans was no longer enforced which was not true... it never existed. He told me that he would allow me to make a payment plan again.

I returned to Charleston on January 15th, 2009. That same day, the professor who forwarded me the email handed me a check of $2,000 towards my tuition, bought all my textbooks, and helped me get a part-time job with the Computer Science department as an office assistant. Double for my trouble!!! Thank you Jesus!! God brought the devices of the enemy to nought and turned them around for my favor. I continued to work part-time with the office of Institutional Research as well. The extra income went a long way to help with rent, food, and tuition to an extent. Thankfully, my elder sister gave me two months worth of rent money and my family continued to assist with tuition from time to time that semester. This was just the beginning of many victories in Charleston that I never expected. Are you fighting battles in life and everyday it seems like the enemy is winning? Step aside and let God fight for you. Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord!

To be continued...

A Blessing in Disguise

It was Summer 2008. I travelled back to Columbia for the summer holiday, and returned to the Glory Communications radio station for another summer internship. Once again, I was back to my GRE prep for my fourth attempt. Prior to the end of the Spring semester, my advisor had told me that I needed to get a score of at least 1,000 on my GRE exam before I'd be allowed to return for the Fall semester to officially begin my graduate studies. This time, I didn't tell a soul that I was planning on retaking the GRE exam that summer. After three GRE attempts without reaching the cut-off point, I was beginning to think that my village people were after me LOL, my African people can completely relate to this. I didn't tell any family member, co-worker, friend, no one! I would lock myself in my room and study at night after everyone had gone to bed. Two months later, and after many sleepless nights praying and preparing for GRE, I was back at Thompson Prometric Center again to retake the GRE exam. As I stepped into the exam center, I felt like Bill Murray (Phil) in the movie "Groundhog Day" who was forced to repeat the same day over and over again. Still, my faith was stronger than ever. I checked into the exam room, said a quick prayer, and started the exam. Four hours later, I completed the exam, hit the submit button and my scores were displayed on the screen. I quickly added up the scores and to my utmost surprise, I got exactly a 1,000 combined score. I couldn't believe it! I thought I may have miscalculated it, so I added the scores again at least three more times and indeed it was 1,000. I wanted to scream for joy. I quickly gathered my items and rushed out of the exam center and as soon as I entered my car, the tears of joy began to flow. I praised God who gave me the grace to finally pass my GRE exam in the nick of time after so many attempts. I returned home and quickly sent an email to my Program Director, and the Director of Graduate Admissions informing them that I finally passed the GRE exam. Four days later, I received an email from Graduate Admissions saying, "Congratulations, you have now met the requirements to become a degree-seeking student with the MS CSIS program..." I had waited so long for this. I give God all the glory!

The Fall 2008 semester began and I returned to College of Charleston as a degree-seeking graduate student. I enrolled in one Computer Science prerequisite course and two graduate courses and all three courses went great. However, I was no longer able to get student loans and life in Charleston became tough financially. My mother was no longer able to co-sign for student loans for me and I was completely distraught. My family had provided $3,000 for part of my tuition and upkeep. I made payment arrangements with the school and was expected to pay about $1,500 every month towards my tuition. My tuition per semester was about $9,000. The $,3000 from my family went mostly towards my tuition. I went from eating decent meals to surviving on cereals, and chicken noodles. I could only afford rent the first month of the semester and was scared my landlord was going to throw me out, but thankfully he didn't. He was very understanding and asked me to pay whenever money became available. I had a chat with my advisor one day and told him about my financial situation and he advised me to start searching for campus jobs on the school's website. I searched the school's job website daily and the only position that seemed feasible was a student office assistant position at the Institutional Research Office. They only needed a student for 2 hours a day and a total of 10 hours a week for $8/hr. I didn't think the hours were enough, so I decided not to apply and kept on searching for other campus jobs and submitted several applications with no success. The following week, my advisor reached out to me and told me that someone he knows from one of the administrative offices told him they were hiring. It turned out it was the same position I saw on the job website with the Institutional Research office with very few hours. I told my advisor that I had seen that job ad and that the hours were so few, and that I wouldn't be able to do much with my pay if I worked there. "But at least you can eat!" My advisor responded. That was enough to convince me that the job was worth applying for. I was eating really poorly those days but I decided not to tell my family because I felt like a burden.

Few days after applying for the office assistant job with Institutional Research (IR), I was invited for an interview. It was a brief and informal interview. At the end of the interview, I gave a little pathetic speech about how bad I needed the job and was almost close to tears. The interviewer was quite empathetic towards me. The next day, I was offered the job thankfully. I started work at the Institutional Research office the following week. It was a small office with just three other staff. The Director, the Assistant Director, and a Data Analyst. The IR Office handled official data reporting for the school and maintained huge data repositories that were analyzed and used for historical and ad hoc reports.  The IR staff were the most amazing people I had ever met, they were so kind and supportive. It was a quiet office environment with very little work for me and the phone barely rang. One day, my Director, a very poised, eloquent, intelligent, and down-to-earth man in his late thirties or early forties came by and sat down beside my desk and had a chat with me. He asked how I was enjoying the job so far, and then he asked me, "Are you learning anything on this job?" "Yes, sir!" I responded. "I want you to learn all you can on this job. Do you see those two ladies in our office? They are really smart and good at what they do. I want you to learn from them. Ask them questions, be inquisitive, and learn everything they know." I was so touched that someone of this man's calibre could really take time to speak to me in that manner. He really cared about not only what I could contribute to the office, but also all the knowledge and experience I could gain from working there. I took my boss's advice and became very inquisitive about the work my colleagues were doing. I found out that my colleagues were the best SAS database programmers ever. Coincidentally, I was taking a database programming class that semester, so I would share what I learnt after each of my database programming class with one of my colleagues and she would share how she applies that concept to her job. My boss gave me a copy of his SAS programming book and I began to teach myself how to write SAS programs. By the end of that semester, I had learned so much and was so sure I wanted to become a Data Analyst. 

Each time I remember how my financial struggles led me to getting a job at the Institutional Research office at College of Charleston, I shudder to think how my life would've turned out otherwise. My financial struggles were definitely a blessing in disguise. Institutional Research with the few work hours and low pay was a blessing in disguise. It's amazing how the Lord directed my steps to an office where I had no idea initially that they had anything to do with Information Technology. I'm so grateful to God for causing a bad situation to work together for my good. By the end of the semester, I was behind on my rent by a few months, I had a huge tuition debt, but the Lord continued to sustain me and was just about to prove himself strong and mighty on my behalf in a huge way. The story gets even better. Watch out for the next blog post!

To be continued...

Unstoppable

It was two months into my first semester at College of Charleston and things were going great... well, almost everything. Out of my three courses, one of them was quite challenging. Coming from a Physics background, there was quite a learning curve with my 400 level Java programming course. Fearing that I might fail the course, I decided to drop the course and retake it the next semester. I still remember the conversation I had with my professor in his office that day right after my Java class. I had just informed him of my decision to drop the class, and then he looked at me and said, "Have you ever thought that maybe Computer Science is not for you? I mean if you really want to study something in the Computer Science field, you could go to a community school and get a certificate in Computer Networking or something?" I was shocked at his statement, but suddenly, I felt a surge of determination like never before, a new passion and drive to succeed. I felt such boldness that only God could give. I looked him straight in the face and said to him, "With man, it is impossible, but with the God that I serve, it is possible! I have seen God move mountains too many times in the past to give up now. I am going to drop this course, and I will take this class again next semester. Not only will I pass this class, but you will watch me graduate with my masters in Computer Science in this same college. I have faith in God, and I know my God will see me through." I started weeping and the professor was stunned and didn't know what to say. A student knocked briefly and then opened the door and found me on a seat with tears streaming down my face. He had an awkward look on his face and slowly stepped back and then shut the door. My professor then looked at me with a softened countenance and said, "Sana, you can go ahead and drop the class. I would however love for you to continue to attend the class after you've dropped it for the rest of the semester and hopefully the course will start to make more sense with time." I thought it was a fantastic idea, so I agreed. I stood up and thanked him, then left his office.

The rest of the semester went smoothly. I continued to attend the Java classes after dropping the class up until the end of the semester and completed my other two courses successfully. When I returned home for the Christmas holiday, I spent almost an entire week fasting and praying concerning Java and for the new year ahead. I believe it was day five of my fasting and prayers, I was on my knees by my bed crying to God with regards to Java, and then I heard the Spirit of God saying to me, "Get up and wipe your tears! Pick up your Java textbook and start reading it again from the beginning." I sat up on my bed immediately, wiped the tears off my face and started reading my Java textbook from the first page and something miraculous happened! As I read pages after pages of my Java textbook, everything I read seemed so elementary. I kept asking myself, how on earth did I not understand this? This is too easy!! I began to write and compile Java programs effortlessly that I initially had trouble with. I remember saying to myself, oh! I can't wait to retake this class next semester. I can't wait to see the look on his face when I answer all the questions in class! I couldn't wait for the next semester. God came through for me! He is the giver of wisdom. God said in His word, "If any of you lack wisdom, he should ask God who gives generously." James 1:5. I am a living witness that His word is true.

The Christmas holiday was over, a new year had begun, and I was back in Charleston. I will never forget my Java class Spring 2008. Most questions that were asked in class, my hand was raised. I answered the questions correctly, sometimes there would be this shock on the professor's face when I answered especially a difficult Java question correctly. I passed all my tests and exams. My programming assignments were written correctly without any help and sometimes the professor would read/compile my code and then ask me if I had any help from a classmate. I knew that it was logically impossible for my professor to understand how the shift happened, and how I became so proficient with Java within a short time. At the end of that semester, I passed the class with a B, and had A's in my other two preliminary courses. I had one more preliminary course to complete which I was going to combine with two graduate courses the following semester on one condition - I had to meet the GRE cut-off point that summer before I would be allowed to officially begin my graduate program in the fall. I was more confident this time that God who had begun a good work so far, would perfect it. I had no doubt that I would return to College of Charleston the next semester as a degree-seeking graduate student. I knew God was more than able to make it possible!

To be continued...

Graduate School: The Very Beginning Part 2

It was the first day of classes. I woke up to the church bells of Cathedral of St. John the Baptist adjacent to my house. This was one of the unique attributes of Charleston that I had come to love; who needed an alarm clock when you could be woken up by a church bell? There were many historic church buildings in downtown Charleston, almost one on every street, which is why Charleston is known as the "Holy City". I woke up, showered, dressed up, and dashed out. It was a 15 minute walk to campus. I arrived at the J. C. Long Building on Liberty Street where my department was located.

I was early for my first class - Java, so I decided to drop by and see my advisor - Dr. Green (not his real name), who was also the Director of the Graduate Programs, and formally meet him before my class. After the formal meeting, I headed to the class and picked a spot on the third row. Few minutes before the professor arrived, I felt a tap on my shoulder; I turned and met a friendly face. "Hi, I'm Kavya (not her real name). You must be Sana." She said extending a hand for a handshake. Immediately, I thought, O-kay?! How did she know my name? She must have psychic powers or something. "Yes, I'm Sana." I extended my hand and we shook hands, but I had a confusing look on my face. "Dr. Green told me about you, I'm a graduate student and I'm also taking preliminary undergraduate Computer Science courses for a year before officially starting the graduate program since my first degree was not in Computer Science, just like you." She said. Immediately, a light bulb came on and then I quickly scanned the classroom and realized I was the only black student in the class, it totally made sense why Kavya knew I was "Sana". Kavya was Indian, a very intelligent girl. There was another student in our class taking preliminary courses just like us, her name was "Ming" (not her real name), she was Chinese and super smart. We met after our Java class that day all clueless about our first Java lesson. We decided to walk together to the library and read the first chapters together and make sense of what we had just learnt. That's how we became a powerful support system throughout our one year of preliminary studies, and two years of graduate school at the College of Charleston. It totally made sense why God allowed me to start my program that particular year and semester at the same time with these two lovely ladies. God knew how much I would need the support system throughout my program.

Later that day, I went to the Graduate School office and officially met Ms. Heather - the woman whom God used in a tremendous way during my graduate admission process. I gave her a big hug and told her thank you a million times over. "Sweetie, you made it happen!" She said. "You worked extremely hard, you were persistent and did not give up." I chatted with Ms. Heather for a little bit and then made another stop to collect a document I needed to send to the student loan bank. I quickly scanned the document and sent it to the bank. The very next day, my student loan was approved for tuition, textbooks, feeding, and accommodation, and the funds were disbursed to my account. I gasped when I saw the figure in my account and suddenly the "Money, Money, Money" song started playing in my head. I did a little dance, then I knelt down with my hands raised towards heaven and thanked God immensely with tears in my eyes for providing in the nick of time!

 To be continued...

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Welcome to Charleston!

"Charleston 100 miles ahead," the sign read as we merged onto I-26 East towards Charleston that beautiful sunny day, August 17, 2007. As my older brother drove, I closed my eyes and began to replay the sad goodbyes from earlier that afternoon and my mother's words, "Remember your testimony! Remember where you come from. Hold on to God." It was sad leaving home where I had spent six years of my life. I couldn't believe that chapter had come to a close and a new one was just about to begin. It felt exciting, yet daunting. My brother's voice interrupted my thoughts, "Ready?" He asked. "Somewhat," I replied. "I can't believe you're moving. We will certainly miss you. Quite a change, huh? You know, going from Benedict College to College of Charleston is like getting the best of both worlds." My brother said. He was absolutely right; going from attending Benedict College, an HBCU (Historical Black College or University) with a 99.5% black population to College of Charleston with only 7% blacks, and about 80% whites at the time was quite a change. I was thrilled about all the adventures of attending a new school - a different type of school with a different culture, exploring Charleston, having some independence, and the new friendships that would be formed along the way. Two hours later, and we were in Charleston. I had drifted off and possibly dreaming about Charleston. My brother spotted the sign first, "Welcome to Charleston. All American City" He woke me up recognizing the significance of that moment and knowing I would remember this for years to come. "Look!" My brother said as he pointed to the sign and I felt butterflies in my stomach. "Wow! It's really happening!!!" I said, feeling a myriad of emotions all at the same time.

We drove into the city and minutes later, we drove into the driveway of a beautiful yellow Victorian house in the heart of the downtown area. We stepped out of the car and inspected the building, the well manicured flower garden by the façade of the house, the fruit and vegetable garden close to the door leading to a cozy and very sophisticated front porch. On the front porch were cane rocking chairs, dangling flower pots, potted plants, and fans on the ceiling. As we inspected the front porch briefly, Mrs. Maria (not her real name), the landlady - a lovely older lady well known in the city and nationally for her cookbooks, and cooking TV shows came out of her family room and greeted us with a big smile. She welcomed us, handed me some towels, and a key and directed us upstairs to my room through a private entrance. We headed upstairs to my room and were greeted by a beautiful well-furnished room with lovely antique furniture, a mini-sized tv with cable, a fireplace, a small fridge with a microwave oven on it, a small cane table with an antique chair, a bathroom, and beautiful paintings on the wall. I looked closely at the paintings and then I froze the second I saw the picture right above my bed, it was the painting of Randolph Hall at the College of Charleston, the building that God showed me in my dream a year before. I felt goosebumps all over my body. I was once again reminded that I was in a city ordained by God for me, and even this very house, that room was ordained by God for me too. My brother rushed back to the car and brought the rest of my stuff, two boxes and a few items and was on his way back to Columbia shortly after.

I unpacked some of my essential items and then hopped on the bed. I curled up almost in a fetal position and laid down just looking around the room for hours. The room was beautiful, but it felt strange. The antique furniture gave the room an eerie feeling like I was taken back in time. I missed home already. The silence was deafening. The uncertainty of what life in Charleston was going to be like was overwhelming, and the reality that I was now responsible for myself, and the fact that I only had $450 to my name after paying my rent deposit and first month rent. My student loan applications had been denied except one that was pending a document from the school. My mother had co-signed the loan for me. There was a 50% chance that it was going to be denied too. School would resume in a few days and I would need to pay my tuition and purchase my textbooks. My head spun with a multitude of thoughts on my mind as I watched the sky gradually darken through the windows until I drifted off.

My first three days were similar to the first. I didn't step a foot outside my room. I got out of bed when I needed to and just stayed curled up in bed praying or looking around the room. My landlord and landlady became concerned since they hadn't seen their new occupant step a foot out since arrival. The third day, bright and early, I heard a knock on my door. It was my landlord. "Good morning, Sana!" He greeted. "We noticed you've remained in your room since you came. Go out, explore downtown, it's beautiful! Grab a map at the tourist shop on King's street and take a walk around." "Thank you sir. I will do that." I replied. An hour later, I took my landlord's advice, got dressed, stepped out, grabbed a map, and began to explore downtown Charleston, and totally fell in love with the city. I loved the shopping district - Kings street with outlet shops and restaurants just a block away from the house, The Waterfront Park - a pier overlooking the ocean with several swings and park chairs where you could sit and look at the ocean, The Battery Park overlooking the ocean with a long running/walking trail by the ocean, the historical buildings, the Colonial Lake few blocks from my house where I spent countless mornings and evenings running, or sitting on a bench reading my Bible and meditating, the downtown restaurants that served the best southern cuisine ever, the horse-drawn carriage tour rides, and the list could go on and on. I was totally in love with Charleston and was thankful to call Charleston my new home.

To be continued...

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Graduate School: The Very Beginning

         "Better is the end of a thing, than the beginning thereof." Ecclesiastes 7:8

       "Though thy beginnings were small, your latter end shall greatly increase." Job 8:7

It was June 24th, 2007. After many days and nights of GRE prep for six months, my exam day was finally here. This was going to be my third attempt and a very crucial one because my score was going to determine if the Computer Science Department at College of Charleston would give me a chance or not. This time, I felt better prepared and more confident in God's ability to see me through. I drove to the exam center with worship songs playing on my car stereo as I lifted my heart up to God in worship. I could sense that something good was about to happen. I arrived the exam center a few minutes later, said a prayer committing the exam into God's hands, and then stepped out of the car and just like deja vu once again, I was in front of Thompson Prometric center. I took a deep breath as I stepped into the building. Within minutes, I checked in and was assigned a computer. Once again, I said a prayer and then started the exam. I took the exam four hours straight with no breaks as I was eager to finish and find out my scores. Four hours felt like an eternity. Soon the timer hit zero and it was time to submit my exam. My heart raced as I hit the submit button. Immediately, the scores appeared on the screen and I quickly added up my quantitative and verbal scores. The scores added up to 950. Just 50 points short of the cut-off point - enough to prove to the director of the Computer Science department that I could bridge the gap in my GRE scores and that I would be successful in the program if given a chance to start out as a non-degree-seeking student. I added the scores over again and could not believe it! I was so happy. As soon as I got home, I emailed Ms. Heather, the director of Graduate Admissions and told her the good news. She replied shortly and congratulated me and promised to relay the information to the director of the Computer Science department.

On July 13th, 2007, I received an email from the director of the Computer Science Department saying that Ms. Heather had gotten in touch with him with regards to my latest GRE combined scores. He told me that my effort was commendable and left him hopeful that I would achieve eventual degree seeking status with the Computer Science program. He added that he would offer me provisional admission and specified the preliminary courses I would have to complete and other conditions I would have to meet before I could become a degree-seeking student, and that if I accepted these conditions, they would go ahead with my paper work. I quickly replied accepting the conditions and thanked him and Ms. Heather for all their help throughout the admission process. Within a couple of weeks, my official offer letter for non-degree-seeking admission into the Computer Science program at College of Charleston finally came in the mail. The feeling of finally holding that admission letter in my hands was indescribable. I was overjoyed! When I shared the good news with my mother, she was happy for me but a little sad that I was going to be far away from home.

I started apartment-hunting once again, but just a few days after I began searching for apartments in Charleston, I got a forwarded email from my graduate school advisor about a lovely older couple downtown who were hoping to rent out a furnished room and bathroom in their home to a graduate student with cable and all utilities included at only $450 per month. I was afraid that since the room had been advertised for sometime, that it would no longer be available. It was just a few weeks before the beginning of the semester. Thankfully, God had kept that room for me and when I reached out, it was still available. The house was a beautiful Victorian-styled house just a few blocks away from campus. Just a 15 minute walk to the main campus.

After two months of working with some incredible people at the radio station, I had to say goodbye to my Glory Communications family to begin a new chapter in Charleston. On my last day, I was taken to a lovely restaurant downtown with all the radio personalities and lovely staff that I had come to know in such a short time. Everyone took turns saying great things about me and wishing me well in my new venture. They all gave gifts and cards and I couldn't keep a dry eye. I was so blessed to have worked with them and for their friendship during that time. 

Few days later, my older brother and I took a trip to College of Charleston for my orientation. I was excited to finally visit College of Charleston. During the orientation, new students and parents were given a tour of the school where we were shown the library, dormitories, the cafeteria, the campus center, department buildings, and so on. It was absolutely a beautiful campus! Soon, we were shown campus buildings on George street and then we approached a large building surrounded by a fence with an ancient-looking entrance into what looked like an open courtyard in front of the building with beautiful large oaks called the "Cistern Yard". The building looked ancient and unpainted. It was Randolph Hall - the Administration building and one of oldest college buildings in the country. We walked into the courtyard and I approached the building. Something seemed oddly familiar about the building. The tour guides were still describing the building and the courtyard, but somehow I wandered off slightly away from the group and walked towards the building trying to figure out why the building looked so familiar, then I remembered the dream and then I froze. I whispered to myself: "This is the building in my dream from last year!! I'm supposed to be here!!!" This was the clearest sign from God that enrolling at College of Charleston was His will. At that moment I had a renewed sense of hope. Hope that everything else would fall into place. Hope that my Charleston journey was in the Lord's hands and that He was going to take hold of my hands and guide me every step of the way.

Thanks for reading! Continuation coming soon...

Unexpected Miracle

It was a brand new year full of hopes, dreams, and expectations. 2007 was in full swing! I spent the first week in prayer and fasting and by the second week, I was back to my daily GRE prep yet again at Panera Bread café. This time, I had more time to pace myself with the GRE study and my plan was to retake the exam in 6 months. The first 4 months of the year were quite mundane and everyday seemed similar to the day before. But unexpectedly, God opened a door for me and once again I was reassured that God was still working on my behalf and ordering every one of my steps.

Sometime in late April 2007, my family was preparing to take a road trip to Baltimore, Maryland for a family friend's wedding. Two days to the trip, I desperately needed to get my hair done for the wedding as all the salons around the area were booked up and were not taking any walk-ins. My mother recommended her stylist five minutes away from our house, and so I gave her a call and she was more than willing to accommodate me. I arrived the salon that afternoon and was asked to have a seat while Mrs. Rebecca (not her real name) was finishing up with a client. Mrs. Rebecca's beautiful grandchildren were in the cozy sitting area playing. I sat and watched them play gleefully and I occasionally glanced at some pages of the magazine in my hands. Shortly, Mrs. Rebecca was all done with her client and it was my turn. She came by the sitting area and asked me to come to the back and get my hair done. Soon, I was seated and as Mrs. Rebecca was getting my hair done, we began to have a conversation about God, family, education, career, and so on. During that conversation, I had no idea that I had left a huge impression on Mrs. Rebecca. She was really impressed with the way I carried myself, my values, and upbringing. Two weeks later, I got a call from Mrs. Rebecca. She said that she remembered that during our conversation two weeks earlier, I had mentioned that I was unemployed. She told me that she might be able to help me. She asked me to update my resume and take it to the Glory Communications radio station owned by her husband, and speak with Mrs. Cornell (not her real name). Mrs. Rebecca said that I was such a remarkable young lady and that she was so impressed with how I carried myself, and my upbringing. She commended my mother for bringing up an amazing young woman and she said she really wanted to help me. I was shocked as I never expected this to happen and I was really excited although I was unsure what position I could possibly qualify for at a radio station. I thanked Mrs. Rebecca repeatedly and expressed how grateful I was for her help and kind words.

The following day, I dressed in my best professional attire, took my updated resume, and headed to the radio station. Glory Communications at the time was home to about two major gospel and talk radio stations: WFMV 95.3FM, and WGCV 620AM. I stepped into Glory Communications and asked for Mrs. Cornell. Soon, Mrs. Cornell came to the lobby with a big smile on her face and the sweetest disposition. I greeted her and we shook hands, and then she directed me to her office. Mrs. Cornell asked me a few questions and after a brief question and answer session, we started talking about her kids, life, and her new baby. We talked and laughed like we were old friends. During our conversation, I realized that Mrs. Cornell, the Sales Manager, was Mrs. Rebecca's daughter and that Mrs. Rebecca had already spoken to her husband and daughter about me. After getting to know each other, Mrs. Cornell explained the position that they had available and then she offered me the job on the spot. I wanted to jump for joy. I was so excited! I quickly accepted the offer and when I was asked when I could start, I told Mrs. Cornell that I would start the next day. I was offered a position in the sales office as an intern. Soon, Mrs. Cornell took me around the sales office and introduced me to the friendly sales staff. I was assigned a cubicle. I was also given a tour of the radio station. I met the radio personalities I had listened to for years on the gospel radio station - Tony Gee, Tony Jamison, Monica Washington, and Thelisha Casey. I was star struck! These were the radio personalities that had kept me entertained for years on WFMV 95.3FM and I couldn't believe I was actually meeting them in person and was going to work with them for the next few months until I headed off to graduate school. Just like that, God opened a door that I never expected in time for me to start saving up for my graduate school expenses.

My experience working as an intern at Glory Communications was surreal!  My job duties included writing radio commercials, scheduling when commercials were going to run, making collection calls, filing, answering phone calls, and planning events organized by the company for listeners. My favorite parts of the job were definitely our morning devotions in the conference room, and writing radio commercials. Writing church program commercials was easy. I found myself using many clichés like - "Anointed Man of God," or "Power Pack Service," or "Awesome time of praise and worship," or "Come and Receive your blessings,"  or "You don't want to miss it!" Church program commercials were absolutely easy, but when it came to business commercials, I had to think really hard and tap into my creative juices to come up with something outstanding. I remember the first time I heard my commercial on the radio, I screamed, "That's my commercial! I wrote that!!" I would constantly ask my family members to listen to the radio station for my commercials and would tell them the exact time my commercials would air. I was proud of my little commercial-writing self! I was so happy with how flexible the job was especially when it came to my GRE study. I was allowed to use my free time to study and thankfully, I had a lot of free time daily. It was almost two months to my GRE exams and I had no doubt that God, who began this good work would see me through.

To be continued...