Kevin Adah Godwin

Kevin grew up in Calabar, a small town in Southern Nigeria. His father works in the local government office; his mother looks after him and his three siblings. Kevin attributes his sense of adventure and inspiration to explore new things to being born October 1, Nigerian Independence Day.

Kevin found purpose in serving his community at age 15 when he volunteered for Street Priest Inc which would rescue at-risk youth. He then worked for Calabar Youth, promoting women’s rights before starting his own non-profit to empower young people to become change-makers and more active citizens. His program helps over 3000 young people in 15 African Countries.

Kevin initially started at the University of Calabar just before it was closed due to COVID and then he experienced a university-wide strike. Passionate to continue his education, he turned to the internet and found VinUni and was attracted to the international focus of VinUni. He started a GoFundMe site to raise money for tuition before asking his parents for permission to apply to VinUni. Because his parents have never been out of Nigeria, he knew that giving him permission would be a big step. He enlisted the help of his uncle who had previously lived in England to help his parents understand the value of living and studying abroad.

He did eventually secure his parent’s permission to attend VinUni. It took a while to acclimate to new food, culture and climate. While he initially applied to nursing he transferred to the College of Business and Management because he wanted to be an impact-driven entrepreneur.

Kevin finds the best part of VinUniversity has been the opportunity to develop his interest and passion in entrepreneurship and leadership. He appreciates the opportunity to work with a Singapore-based education technology start-up Outsider as a partnership lead. He also has benefited from the international guest speakers and workshops that have helped him develop his “applied perspectives”. His goal after graduation is to work on promotion, branding and sales for technology-based start-ups.

Kevin would like to thank our donors because his scholarship has “changed his life”. It has given him an “opportunity to explore and discover myself – to find my passion and my fire”. He has noticed that people “adjust their seats” when he tells them he is studying at VinUniversity. “They recognize me and see my potential”. He does his best every day as a way to thank our donors and hopes to give back to VinUniversity by creating opportunities for future students.