A review of book on scholarships, grants, opportunities, luck

The majority of humanity attributes success and fortune to luck. They dedicate much of their time and energy praying for it.

However, dental surgeon and founder of the Global Entrepreneurs and Leaders Academy (GELA), Dr Favour Ikhile — from his work and experience, and from a decade of applications, rejections, and wins — differs when he affirms that, just like all other human and societal endeavours, “Winning funded opportunities is about preparation, not luck.”

Dr Ikhile, through his new book, titled ‘Winning Scholarships, Grants, and Fully-Funded Opportunities Abroad as a Student’, published on Amazon, reveals this with practical proofs and convincing success stories.

The stark reality, the book reveals, is that every year, thousands of Nigerian students watch scholarship deadlines pass, convinced that funded opportunities belong to the well-connected. Still, the author disproves this illusion with a working system drawn from his own record and experience.

The author was rejected more than ten times before winning the HillCity Foundation Scholarship in his first year. He later became a Jim Ovia Scholar, a Western Union Foundation/IIE Scholar, YALI fellow, U.S. KECTIL Colleague and GES Alumnus. He won grants from The Pollination Project, the United States Consulate General, Peacefirst, among others.

This history gives the book its authority. The twelve-chapter book follows an applicant’s journey.

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Part one of the book explains the difference between scholarships, grants and fully funded programmes, and shows how to build a strong profile and search for genuine opportunities. Part two covers applications, essays, CVs, personal branding and interviews. Part three, on grants, takes readers from a fundable idea to a concept note, proposal, budget and final report. Part four turns to fully funded conferences and fellowships, and to making the most of every room one enters.

Three strengths stand out in the book. The first is honesty: rejection is treated as information, and the author insists that preparation comes before opportunity. The second is its view of grants as an exchange of value, since funders want to know what outcome their money will achieve, not merely what the applicant needs. The third is a memorable networking chapter, in which a chance encounter with a United Nations officer at a Model UN conference grows into a lasting partnership.

Each chapter in the book ends with reflection questions and action steps, and the appendices offer ready-to-use checklists and practicable templates.

One caution: eligibility rules change, as the author himself notes of the Western Union Global Scholarship, so readers should verify current terms before applying.

In her foreword to the book, Dr Grace Ihejiamaizu of Opportunity Desk calls it a guide to be applied rather than merely read. That is a fair verdict. This is an encouraging companion for students and youth leaders, and also for parents and teachers who mentor them.

Its message is clear: opportunity favours the prepared, and anyone willing to prepare can build that advantage.

What Dr Favour Ikhile has succeeded in doing with ‘Winning Scholarships, Grants, and Fully-Funded Opportunities Abroad as a Student’ is to affirm what American bestselling author Brian Tracy said in his seminal book ‘The Laws of Luck’ that “Luck is predictable” and “Success and happiness are not accidents.”

The book is written in simple, practical language that is easy to understand, and its cover portrays the essence of the book: an idea, system, and guide that soars an ordinary student or scholarship applicant or grant seeker to wins and successes. Hence, this is not a book to be read once and shelved — it is one written for regular revisions, for occasional motivations.

‘Winning Scholarships, Grants, and Fully-Funded Opportunities Abroad as a Student’ succeeds in establishing itself as a practical manual for everyone seeking success in academic and leadership endeavours.