Daniel Zhao, Staff Photographer

By Tariq Lawal

Recently, a current Yale student from Africa and I discussed the U.S. college admissions process via Instagram DMs, her journey to Yale and the unique challenges African students face — including the barriers that even prevent them from applying.

I love having conversations that make me think deeply. Who knew a single conversation could make me reflect on the unattainable aspirations of ambitious African students like me?

I am Tariq Lawal, a homeschooled high school student from Lagos, Nigeria. I am an advocate for quality education for all and global citizenship. Over the years, I have continuously raised awareness about the lack of access to quality education for many Nigerian youth and how it disadvantages us from gaining the skills that would help us thrive in today’s job market. I am also a Young Influencer for UNICEF Nigeria, and I also run a project in my local community where I promote diverse literacies and foster global citizenship among underserved children and youth.

When I was younger, I wouldn’t dare say, “I would love to attend Yale University,” in front of anyone. Institutions like Yale are known to be for the ‘one percent of the one percent’ — the geniuses, young leaders and exceptional scholars who will go on to leave a major mark on society. Students like me, who have the ambition and potential but lack the resources and privilege, don’t belong in such a place. So, why even try to get in?

I attended some of the best schools in Lagos, Nigeria, but I still didn’t feel prepared to thrive at global institutions of higher education. Initially, I attended a science and technical college funded by the Nigerian federal government because I planned to become an engineer. Later, I left because the school stifled my personal growth, and I realized STEM wasn’t for me. During the pandemic, I made the unconventional decision to homeschool (which is uncommon in Nigeria and most African countries) and shift my focus to the social sciences, humanities and arts.

Access to quality education is a right that every child should have. I wish I hadn’t had to take charge of my education, but it was a decision that significantly transformed my life for the better. Taking charge of my educational journey has propelled me to become self-reliant, creative and expand my limits of what is possible because I was not being boxed in by the traditional education system, and it eventually led to my being publicly recognized as the most accomplished and globally awarded teenager in Nigeria.

The education system in my country — and many other African nations — continues to fail students. Many government-funded schools in Nigeria are overpopulated, severely underfunded and lack the infrastructure to provide quality education. They simply do not have the capacity to prepare students to thrive and succeed in the 21st century.

Liliana Talino ’28 is the first international student from Angola to attend Yale. She is the current Yale student from Africa who made me think more about why attending universities like Yale and Harvard seem like distant dreams for many African students, including me. Her home country, Angola, has rarely sent students to top U.S. universities due to language differences, the holistic admissions process, the cost of applying, and other factors. Despite the barriers she faced, she had a level of self-belief and resilience that eventually led her to Yale. And it paid off.

Her dream of attending Yale, which seemed so distant a few years ago, is now her reality. She is currently a first year at the university with plans to double major in Ethics, Politics and Economics, and African studies. She is also a Grace Hopper College senator on the Yale College Council.

I first came across Liliana on TikTok, and I was deeply inspired by her videos. It is rare to see international students from Africa share their experiences at top universities and their journeys to get there. I immediately followed her on TikTok, and she followed me back. Just like Liliana, I use my TikTok page as a platform to inspire young Africans and show them they are capable of great things.

My content is centered around my advocacy work, the global competitions I have participated in, opportunities that high school students can take advantage of, and the struggles I face as a young advocate for progressive causes in a conservative country like Nigeria while Liliana’s content is centered around her experiences at Yale and her navigating the United States.

Last year, I posted on TikTok about how I benefited from participating in programs organized by Yale student-led organizations like the Yale Entrepreneurial Society and Yale Model United Nations. Liliana often comments on my posts, and it is heartwarming to see her engage with my content. Later, we followed each other on Instagram, where we had a few surface-level conversations until one night when we had a deep discussion about how she got to Yale and the challenges she faced.

Hearing Liliana’s story made me realize thinking Yale is a distant dream is not unique. Like me, she attended a school that didn’t have enough resources to prepare her for higher education at a rigorous institution. She shared how extracurricular activities were uncommon for high school students in Angola and how many of her teachers weren’t familiar with the U.S. college admissions process. It was difficult for her to get them to write recommendation letters and upload the necessary documents for her application.

It was interesting that Liliana and I have some very similar experiences in our high schools, such as unstable electricity and outdated curricula, despite coming from different African countries with distinct educational systems, cultures, customs, and languages.

So, it makes sense that my peers at my previous school never felt they could attend top universities abroad. They had never even been in a lab with proper equipment—how could they feel prepared to study chemistry at an Ivy League university?

Even for those who dare to dream of attending Yale, there are too many barriers that make their dreams seem unattainable–applying to American colleges is expensive. Many prospective African students simply cannot afford the costs. This alone prevents many high-achieving African students who would have gotten in from even applying. Why bother when you can’t even afford to apply?

Despite these barriers, many ambitious African students still pursue their dreams of studying at institutions like Yale. They know it will be difficult, but they choose to dream and work toward a goal anyways.

My conversation with Liliana has further inspired me to continue advocating for educational equity and ensuring that African students feel confident navigating our globalized and digitalized world. I want African students to believe they can be just as impressive as their Western counterparts—not viewed solely through a lens of struggle.

If Liliana Talino can be a Yale student, so many other African students should start to believe they can be too.