Victory Yinks-Banjo, a 17-year-old Nigerian girl, has achieved an extraordinary accomplishment by securing the top spot in the World English Cambridge Examination. Her achievement has granted her a remarkable $5 million scholarship, paving her way to acceptance at 19 prominent universities in both the United States and Canada.
Graduating from Princeton High School in Lagos, Nigeria, Victory-Yinka Banjo’s academic prowess has earned her full-ride scholarship offers from 19 renowned institutions.
The collective value of these scholarships exceeds 5 million dollars. Among the prestigious universities that have extended offers to her are the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Stanford University, Johns Hopkins University, the University of Virginia, and Ivy League establishments like Yale College, Harvard College, Princeton University, and Brown University – all of which are providing her with full-ride scholarships.
Victory’s achievements extend to Canadian universities as well, where she was granted full scholarships. Notably, she was honored with the Lester B. Pearson scholarship from the University of Toronto and the Karen McKellin International Leader of Tomorrow (KMILOT) scholarship from the University of British Columbia.
Reflecting on her accomplishments, Victory shared, “It still feels pretty unbelievable. I applied to so many schools because I didn’t even think any school would accept me.” She further elaborated, “Their admissions processes are extremely selective. They only accept the best of the best. So, you can imagine how, on a daily basis, I have to remind myself that I actually got into these schools. It is surreal.”
Throughout her high school journey, Victory has consistently excelled and even served as a senior prefect. She achieved straight A’s in her West African Senior School Certificate Examination and earned the distinguished title of overall best in the World Cambridge Exam for her outstanding performance in English as a second language.
Additionally, she held prominent roles in her school’s community, such as being the President of the Student Representative Council, the founder of the coding club, and the secretary of the Student Representative Council. Her talents extended to the realm of music as well, as she excelled as the lead violinist for the school’s orchestra.
In an interview with CNN, Victory attributed her impressive achievements to the guidance of her parents, the strength of her faith, and her unwavering dedication. She emphasized that the multitude of scholarship offers has instilled a deep sense of pride within her.
Currently, Victory is pursuing a degree in Molecular Biology and Computer Science (Computational Biology) at the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the United States.
