My name is Divine Michaels, and I am from Lagos, Nigeria. I come from a family of four, with two sisters and an older brother. Nigeria is a country with many tribes, and my family belongs to the Yoruba tribe. In Yorubaland, it is normal for the eldest to achieve good things first, and then in that order, until it is the youngest’s turn. I have watched my siblings go on to achieve great things, the only hindrance being money. I attended primary and secondary school in Nigeria. My inspiration to study in the United States came from my older sister, who received a full scholarship to Howard University. I decided to work hard to achieve the same thing she did. Unfortunately, I was only able to get the Merit scholarship, which covers tuition. My parents would have to pay for housing and feeding. My original plan was to take the financial burden off my parents completely, but I ended up giving them more than is needed. The exchange rate of the dollar to the naira has now become incredulous. $1 is equivalent to 1500 naira. When I arrived in the US in August, it was just 700 naira to $1. This has again increased the burden on my parents. They do not know this, but I have spent many days hating myself for being an overachiever. I am over that now and am finding ways to support my parents so I can achieve my dreams with the kind of education I cannot get in my country. A challenge I have overcome is my skin. I have keratosis pilaris and dermatitis. These skin diseases were a stigma for me during my high school years. People used to run away from me and bully me because of my skin, always asking if I was contagious and telling others not to talk to me so they would not look like me. It was a struggle for the six years I was in high school, but my mum took me to doctor after doctor, trying to find a way to help me love myself again. “Your skin does not define you,” she said. At the end of the day, my skin started healing, but so did my mind. I realized that people respond to how you carry yourself. It might not seem like much of a challenge, but it was a fierce battle for me, and I am very proud that no matter what relapses I have, I still stand tall and say that I am beautiful. It took me seven years to get here today, and I will never trivialize it. Someone who has inspired me is my mother. Even with all the struggles she faces, she says that God is good and continues life with a smile on her face. She has been a rock for everyone in the family and still works hard to support in other areas. I want to be just like her, a caring, loving human being who sees the best in everyone and does whatever she can to help. She motivates her children and husband in a way that cannot be explained. She is amazing. After I graduate from Alabama A&M University with a major in Computer Science/Programming, I plan on working at game companies in Nigeria, giving them ideas and knowledge I have gained during my study in the US. I will then move on to start my own game company, which will be the leading gaming company in Nigeria after ten or fewer years. I will work on collaborating with Gameloft and Pixelberry.