Miva Open University Data Science Student Bags Degree 16 Years After Secondary School, Shares Story

• A Nigerian lady celebrated as she earned a bachelor’s degree from Miva Open University, 16 years after she left secondary school
• She opened up about what influenced the delay and shared why she chose to study data science after many years
• Her story triggered reactions on social media, and many took to the comment section to celebrate her achievement

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A Nigerian lady, Christiana Richards, narrated her academic journey as she bagged a bachelor’s degree from Miva Open University.

An excited Christiana shared how she waited 16 years after secondary school before bagging a first-class degree in data science.

Lady bags bachelor’s degree from Miva University

On her LinkedIn page, Christiana C. Richards showed off her certificate and shared her experience.

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Her LinkedIn post read:

"It took me 16 years to hold this certificate in my hands. There were attempts that didn’t go the way I planned. Detours I didn’t choose. Doors that closed when I thought they would open, and nights I wondered if this dream was even mine to have. I watched people younger than me graduate, build careers, move forward, while I was still trying to find my way back to school. I won’t lie, there were moments I almost let it go.

"But I never sat still. I kept building, kept learning, kept growing in every way I could. I am ambitious, I am a dreamer. Standing still was never an option for me, even when the path forward wasn’t clear. Still, not having this degree limited how far I could stretch some of those dreams, how big I could let myself think. There is a particular kind of frustration in knowing you have more in you than your circumstances are currently allowing you to show.

"In September 2023, I enrolled at Miva Open University to study Data Science. Yesterday, June 20, 2026, sixteen years after I first finished secondary school, I graduated with First Class Honours. I am writing this through tears, honestly. Not because the wait was easy, but because I remember every version of me that almost gave up. The me that cried, the me that felt forgotten while everyone else moved on, the me that kept praying and kept working even when nothing seemed to be changing.

:God did not forget me. He was working in the silence, in the delay, in every season that looked like nothing was happening. This certificate is not just paper to me. It is sixteen years of God’s faithfulness held in my hands.

"I am also deeply grateful to Miva Open University for this opportunity. Studying online meant I could finally finish this degree as a wife and mother without putting my family on hold. That kind of access gave me my dream back.

"If you are still waiting, still trying again, still holding on to something that feels far away, please don’t let go. Your breakthrough is closer than you think. To God be all the glory. He kept His promise."

In a related story, UNILAG's best graduating student shared how he was rejected by the University of Ibadan, while another graduate staged a one-man protest over unemployment.

LASU BGS shares admission experience

Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that the Lagos State University's (LASU) best graduating student opened up about her admission experience.

In an insightful interview with Legit.ng, the young lady shared her admission struggle, experience in school, and future goals.