All Stories

Participant 3

Once a top-level hospital administrator in Nigeria, Participant 3 came to the U.S. expecting professional continuity—but instead found himself restarting as a caregiver and later a program coordinator in disability services. Despite decades of experience, he confronted credential rejection, accent bias, and the heartbreak of managing two economies—one in dollars, the other in naira. Still, he rebuilds with quiet resilience, determined to turn his expertise into advocacy for policy reform.

I used to make decisions for hospitals—now I need permission to make a phone call.

Participant 9

A seasoned financial controller in Nigeria, Participant 9 fled rising insecurity and economic chaos to protect her children’s future. In Maryland, she traded corporate spreadsheets for caregiving gloves—documenting health charts instead of managing ledgers. Her career may have paused, but her purpose didn't. Despite early experiences of racial rejection and family back home thinking she "picks dollars off the streets," she holds fast to her dream of becoming a U.S.-licensed tax consultant.

I didn’t come to erase my past—I came to rewrite my future.

Participant 11

Participant 11’s journey from agriculture graduate to cybersecurity specialist captures the quiet strength of a man who rebuilt his career one certification at a time. Starting out as a parking cashier earning minimum wage, he retrained strategically, pursued over ten IT certifications, and rose into a fulfilling cybersecurity role with the State of Maryland. While others lament systemic barriers, he credits his growth to mindset, discipline, and relentless learning. His story is a testament to the immigrant spirit—one that adapts, evolves, and thrives with clarity of purpose.

I don’t believe in waiting for the system to fix itself. If you dislike your situation enough, you’ll do something about it—and that’s what I did.

Participant 15

As a financial controller in Lagos hospitality industry, Participant 15 had made it—but in America, he chose the wheel over the boardroom. Working as a full-time Uber and Lyft driver, he values autonomy, zero office politics, and time with family over title and prestige. His is a rare story of intentional underemployment—proof that freedom and dignity sometimes ride in the back seat of a clean, well-driven car.

I just wanted to have absolute control of my time and schedules. This has given me priceless opportunity to spend quality time with my family.

Participant 22

Back home, Participant 22 was a respected legal practitioner and conflict resolution specialist. In the U.S., she found herself unable to find employment in law practice due to expensive re-licensure. She took up short-lived jobs as a community coach. Each new job felt like a new humiliation—her education ignored, her grief invalidated, her identity slowly dimming. But beneath the hurt lies a fire: to tell her story, reclaim her profession, and fight for others like her.

If there’s anything below underutilized, that’s what I became.

Participant 17

Participant 17’s journey from Nigerian-trained physician to U.S. assistant professor in anesthesiology is a masterclass in strategic migration. Bypassing the typical story of professional downgrading, he built a career brick by brick—starting with unpaid research, then earning a surgical residency, switching to anesthesiology, and finally landing a faculty role. Far from naive about systemic bias, he navigates American medicine with calculated grace, balancing emotional intelligence, cultural adaptability, and relentless excellence. His story reminds us that success abroad isn’t just about skills—it’s about knowing when to speak, when to adapt, and when to stand firm.

You have to read the room, work twice as hard, and never assume fairness—you earn your place here by staying sharp, humble, and emotionally intelligent.

Participant 28

Once a school proprietor and seasoned accountant in Nigeria, Participant 28 arrived in the U.S. not in pursuit of ambition, but safety—twice kidnapped, he chose exile over peril. At 65, he gave up a thriving career to start anew in Maryland, pivoting into healthcare as a Direct Support Professional. Though his financial and managerial skills now lie dormant, he brings emotional intelligence and unshakable purpose to his new role. Lacking institutional support, he leaned entirely on personal discipline, treating migration as a challenge to be met, not mourned. “Since I can’t get what I wanted, I have to go for an alternative,” he said—a philosophy of dignified compromise. His story reveals the quiet heroism of migrants who trade prestige for peace, and find fulfillment not in status, but in survival with integrity.

Since I can’t get what I wanted, I have to go for an alternative.

Participant 29

Once a Nigerian technical writer dismissed as “unqualified” in the U.S., Participant 29 endured over 600 job rejections and worked as a night security guard, sneaking in his university assignments during breaks. Refusing to let his diploma define him, he earned two bachelor’s, three master’s, and two PhDs, ultimately becoming a federal e-learning specialist and professor. His story isn’t just about credentials—it’s about remaking identity through grit, strategy, and a purpose that outpaced survival.

I wasn’t chasing survival; I was chasing purpose.

Participant 30

From teaching in Nigeria to decoding DNA at Johns Hopkins, Participant 30’s migration story is one of audacious intellect and quiet endurance. As a PhD student in genetics, he battled visa-based exclusion from NIH grants, cultural dislocation, and academic isolation—yet he completed his doctorate in just four years, won over $1 million in research funding, and now charts a future as faculty in elite U.S. science. His path shows how purpose, precision, and persistence can rewrite the immigrant narrative.

Even when the door is half-closed, I push it open with data and discipline.