1. One regret I have now: I wish I had applied for more opportunities as an undergraduate. I didn't have the right information. No one told me about the possibility of fully funded opportunities.
2. I used to think opportunities would always be there. They won't. Many scholarships, fellowships, and leadership programmes have age limits of 30–35. A time will come when I will no longer be eligible for many opportunities, so start early.
3. I wish I had known that scholarships, fellowships, and international opportunities weren't reserved for "exceptional" students. Many ordinary students simply applied consistently.
4. If I could relive my undergraduate years, I'd spend less time consuming content and more time searching for opportunities. That single habit changed my life later.
5. I regret not documenting my achievements from my first year. Every leadership role, certificate, volunteer experience, and award should have gone into a CV from the start.
6. I wish I had started building my online presence much earlier. I stayed away from social media for most of university because I wanted to focus on academics and only joined WhatsApp, Facebook, and other platforms in my final year. Looking back, I realize your digital footprint can open doors you never imagined.
7. I underestimated the power of volunteering. Many of the experiences that later strengthened my CV could have started years earlier.
8. I wish I had joined organizations like JCI, AIESEC, and similar student communities much earlier. I later met students from other universities who had already built incredible leadership experience and international exposure through them.
9. I didn't even have a CV until after I graduated. Looking back, I wish I had built one from my first year, even a French version, as that later helped me secure a fully funded trip to France.
10. The biggest lesson from my journey is this: Information changed my life more than talent alone. Knowing where opportunities exist is a skill every undergraduate should develop.
11. I wish I had taken student opportunities more seriously. I overlooked competitions, conferences, exchange programmes, internships, and leadership programmes because I didn't think they were for someone like me. Looking back, many of them could have changed my trajectory much earlier.
12. Opportunity literacy is a real skill. Knowing where to find opportunities, reading between the lines, and setting up notifications so you never miss deadlines is important.
Schrödinger’s flirting…I’m not flirting with you unless you want me to be. And if you don’t, then obviously I was joking the entire time. The intentions exist in a quantum state you’ll never fully decode.