A Journey of Excellence and Achievement

In Guinea, the quality of higher education is limited, which made me realize early on that if I wanted to achieve my goal of receiving the best education, I had to prepare myself. I set a personal goal to rank among the top 15 students nationally. At the mock baccalaureate exam, I ranked first in my class, with a fellow student—a girl—coming in second. However, due to a small error during the national baccalaureate exam, I ended up placing 42nd, while she ranked 6th in the country and is now studying in Morocco.[My High School's Post - The Laureates of 2022]

Usually, the top 50 students in each high school field are awarded scholarships to study abroad, specifically in Morocco, but in 2022, only the top 36 from my field were selected. My name missed the cutoff by just six places.

I went to the scholarship office, hoping for a spot, but I didn’t see my name. Despite the disappointment, I refused to give up. I kept searching for opportunities, doing extensive research, and eventually discovered the Excellence Scholarship from Université Centrale de Tunis. They only accepted the best, the laureates of their countries. I applied, passed the interview, and arrived in Tunis on October 15, 2022.

Lesson learned: Determination and perseverance are key. When one door closes, another opens with greater opportunities.

After receiving the scholarship, I was determined to prove my worth, not only as a sign of gratitude but also to honor the support of my parents. My first year was challenging. Adapting to a new environment, with more sophisticated teaching methods and a different academic culture, I struggled to find my footing. I completed the year with an annual average of 13.59 (Honor/Satisfactory), and though I wasn't entirely satisfied, I had developed a stronger passion for IT, particularly in networking, which became my favorite subject due to my passion for networks and security. This existing passion drove me to explore cybersecurity more deeply.

During the summer break, I decided to take matters into my own hands. Driven by passion and curiosity, I couldn’t wait for my Bachelor's studies to dive into cybersecurity, so I began teaching myself.
 I knew that if I wanted to seize the best opportunities for a master’s degree in cybersecurity, I needed to excel now. I bought courses online and dedicated the summer to expanding my knowledge, not just in programming—an essential part of my software engineering degree—but also in operating systems, networking, and security. This self-driven learning significantly boosted my skills through hands-on practice.
After gaining these new skills, I realized that I was capable of far more than I had initially imagined. I knew I could overcome any challenge and perform at a level of excellence. This experience solidified my confidence and determination to push my boundaries and aim for greatness in the coming academic year.

At the start of my second year, I set a clear goal: to be the top student. I even made a pact with a classmate, who was also a strong competitor, telling him, "I'm going for the top spot this year, and I don't usually fail at my goals." He confidently replied that I would never surpass him. With this friendly rivalry in place, I worked harder than ever.

During the first semester, my motivation reached a peak. Eager to see our grades, I developed a program, 'moy_calculator' a project consisting of over 300 lines of code, designed to automatically calculate our semester averages. After completing it in just 24 hours, I shared it with my classmates, who were thrilled to know their results before the official release. When the results came out, I had an average of 15.38, just ahead of my competitor with 15.18. Our pact was renewed for the second semester.

For the second semester, I updated my program to version 2.0 and once again shared it with my classmates. This time, my average rose to 15.79 , while my competitor scored 15.31, and I couldn’t contain my joy; victory was mine, but the battle wasn’t over yet, as the official class ranking had yet to be released.

There was still suspense, as one other student—a girl I suspected might be in the running for the top spot—refused to share her grades with me. She even hinted that I wasn’t in first place, suggesting that several students had surpassed me. Her words planted doubt, but my confidence in my hard work held strong. A few weeks later, during the break, my competitor informed me that the rankings were out and that he had placed third. My stress levels rose, but I remained hopeful. I rushed to the university, retrieved my transcript, and saw it: Rank 1. The joy I felt was indescribable! The faculty congratulated me, and I left, barely able to contain my excitement. I immediately called my mother and family to share the news.

Nothing compares to the satisfaction of setting a goal, working tirelessly toward it, and finally achieving it. It was a rewarding culmination of a year-long effort.

Lesson Learned : This experience taught me the value of resilience, discipline, and confidence in one’s abilities. I learned that challenges are part of the journey and that true success comes from perseverance. Most importantly, it reinforced my belief that setting clear goals and staying committed to them paves the way for achievement.