*Embassy: Abuja Embassy* First Attempt School: East Tennessee State University COA: $42K Deficit: $6,720 Course: Masters in Computer and Information Science Window: 11 Honestly it was just God who intervened for me. I wanted to get my i20 on time, to be able to secure a visa appointment date. So before I got my i20, I submitted my uncles bank statement , because it was such a hassle getting my mums own from the bank. So I used my uncles own, because I “heard” I could always update it. But that wasn’t the case for me. I reached out to the International Students Representative, asking if I could update my i20, but she declined severally. It was a concern, but I had to go with what I had. *Interview proper* I was the first to be interviewed by the VO this morning. So he was on his feet the whole time. *Interview:* VO: Good morning, your documents Me: Here they are please *Passed it to him and then he asked me to excuse him for a minute. 1 minute turned to 5 minutes. But I didn’t complain atall. I needed the time to loosen up a little bit* *Interview:* VO: where are you going in the US Me: I am going to East Tennessee State University for a Masters degree in Computer and Information Science, focusing on Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. I will also be working with Prof. ****** on Developing AI powered natural language processing solutions for software applications. VO: Are you married? Me: No I’m not VO: Any kids? Me: Nope. VO: You have a COA of $42k. How will you be funding that? Me: I have a GA that covers my tuition in full and 70% of my living expenses. (As I talked, he looked through to confirm). My Uncle, Mr. *****, will be covering my deficit. (I wanted to go in and explain he didn’t let me) VO: Do you have a bank statement? Because a lot of people come here saying a relative is sponsoring, but it’s always a lie. Me: Oh, ofcourse I do. (I passed it, then he asked for another minute. He took the bank statement somewhere then came back after a minute or so and said everything looked good) VO: Have you been to the US before? Me: No, not the US, but I’ve been to other countries. VO: Can you mention? Me: I mentioned a long list. VO: Do you have relatives in the US? Me: No I don’t VO: (Repeated the same question of where I’ve traveled to) Which countries have you been to again? Me: I repeated again, in the exact same order lol. VO: How many siblings do you have? Me: I have just a sister VO: What do your parents do Me: I told him VO: What will you be doing after this degree? Me: Firstly, I would be rejoining my team at ******, as the lead AI/ML Engineer where we would be kickstarting the integration of AI and machine learning into our software solutions. The skills I am going to gain in Deep learning frameworks and Natural Language Processing would be a game changer in helping us take on more ambitious projects. Secondly, I would be devoting more time to my baby, it’s a blockchain startup. My vision is to make use of AI to automate compliance and regulatory tasks, tackling pressing issues like money laundering. VO: Ambitious Me: (while smiling)You can say that VO: You can’t enter the United States until 30 days before resumption….. Ah I didn’t hear anything again for real!!! It was after he said this that I noticed he was even wearing a Man City Tag. After he gave me my white paper, I said “God bless you and up Man City!”. We both laughed and I left. God is so good and he keeps his promises. I’m grateful to my support system fr!! I can’t over emphasize this. You really can’t embark on this journey alone. And I’m glad God placed people in my life to help.