From Polytechnic to Becoming the First MT Scholar with an HND as the highest qualification: The Journey of Momoh Adams Enemona

Meet Momoh Adams Enemona, a 2026 MT Scholar, and the first MT Scholar whose highest qualification is an HND. Read to the end to discover why his journey is a reminder to students not to count themselves out of opportunities they have yet to pursue.

Have you ever come across a scholarship or graduate programme, considered applying, and then talked yourself out of it?

Perhaps you thought your grades were not good enough. Perhaps you attended a polytechnic and assumed the opportunity was reserved for university graduates. Or perhaps you had the ability and ambition but lacked the money, guidance, or confidence to take the first step.

Sometimes, the greatest barrier to an opportunity is not the rejection that might follow an application. It is the decision not to apply because you have already convinced yourself that you do not qualify. For HND holders who have ever felt this way, the story of Momoh Adams Enemona is worth reading.

A Different Kind of Academic Journey

Adams is an Electrical/Electronics Engineering graduate of the Federal Polytechnic, Nasarawa, Nigeria. He completed his National Diploma (ND) in 2016 and his Higher National Diploma (HND) in 2019, earning distinctions in both programmes.

He graduated among the top students in his cohort, received academic excellence awards, and was recognised as the best graduating student at both the National Diploma and Higher National Diploma levels.

Yet, academic achievement did not shield him from the assumptions surrounding polytechnic education.

As a Nigerian polytechnic graduate, Adams understood how perceptions about one’s educational background could influence access to international graduate study opportunities. Talented students could be overlooked because of assumptions about their qualifications, while others struggled with limited finances, access to reliable information, and mentorship.

His experience raises an important question: how many capable students have quietly abandoned their ambitions because they assumed their educational background placed those ambitions beyond their reach?

For Adams, an HND was an important part of his academic journey, not a reason to stop pursuing what came next.

Finding a Way Forward Without Having All the Answers

Adams’s journey towards international graduate study was not a story of having every resource in place or knowing exactly what to do from the beginning. Much of the process required him to find his own way.

Despite financial difficulties, he paid for his standardised tests, credential evaluation, and applications. He researched universities and admission requirements, prepared for the GRE and IELTS, sought out faculty members, and navigated the application process with limited guidance.

These challenges are familiar to many prospective international students. Graduate school applications can be demanding even for those with access to good advice. For applicants navigating the process independently, identifying suitable universities, understanding how their qualifications are assessed, and preparing competitive applications can be overwhelming.

Adams did not give up. His persistence led to an offer of admission to a direct PhD programme in Electrical and Computer Engineering, alongside acceptances into other graduate programmes with limited funding.

His achievement is significant, not because it suggests that every applicant will receive the same outcome, but because it challenges the assumption that holding an HND automatically places international graduate opportunities beyond reach.

His story reminds us that where you begin should not determine how far you are willing to explore your possibilities.

Why His Story Matters to Us at MT Scholarship

At MT Scholarship, stories like Adams’s matter because access to opportunity is not always evenly distributed.

Academic ability exists across different institutions, communities, and educational backgrounds. However, access to the information, financial resources, and mentorship needed to turn that ability into opportunity can vary considerably. When capable students lack these resources, they may never get the chance to demonstrate what they can do.

Adams’s experience highlights the importance of creating opportunities for exceptional individuals to pursue their ambitions on the strength of their merit and potential. It also demonstrates why access to reliable information and a supportive community matters alongside financial assistance.

As the first HND holder represented in the 2026 MT Scholarship cohort, Adams marks an important milestone in the cohort’s representation of different academic qualifications. His achievement offers encouragement to students from polytechnic backgrounds who may have assumed that their qualification automatically rules them out of similar opportunities.

However, the lesson is not that qualifications do not matter or that applicants should disregard admission and scholarship requirements. Different programmes have different eligibility criteria, and those requirements must be taken seriously.

The lesson is simpler: do not reject yourself before you have checked whether you qualify.

If a scholarship or graduate programme interests you, read its requirements carefully. Find out how your qualification is assessed, research your options, and seek reliable guidance where necessary. Then make an informed decision about applying.

You may not get every opportunity you pursue, but you should give yourself the chance to be considered.

The Significant Part of Adams’ Story

Adams’ selection as an MT Scholar for the 2026 cohort, no doubt, came without his sacrifices; his ambitions extend beyond his education and career.

He is committed to helping other students navigate the graduate school application process, particularly those in Nigerian universities and polytechnics who may lack access to reliable information.

He hopes to support aspiring applicants through mentorship, online discussions, workshops, and practical resources covering university selection, statements of purpose, recommendation letters, standardised tests, and scholarship opportunities.

This commitment builds on work he has already undertaken. Through teaching and community initiatives, he has supported students in science and mathematics, mentored young people interested in STEM careers, and helped learners access educational materials.

He also founded the Grassroot Empowerment Initiative, which provides educational and economic empowerment programmes to members of his community. These experiences offer a glimpse of how he hopes to use what he has learnt to help others move forward.

For MT Scholarship, the significance of an opportunity lies not only in what a recipient gains, but also in what they can contribute afterwards. Mentorship, shared knowledge, and service can extend the benefits of an opportunity beyond the individual who receives it.

A student who once struggled to find reliable information can become a source of guidance for someone else. A difficult application process can become a lesson that makes the journey easier for the next applicant. And one person’s achievement can encourage others to pursue possibilities they had previously dismissed.

In this way, the impact of an opportunity can extend far beyond its immediate recipient.

To Every HND Holder Who Has Been Hesitating

If you hold an HND and have ever wondered whether international graduate study or a scholarship could be an option for you, Adams’s story is an invitation to investigate rather than assume.

Your qualification is an important part of your academic record, but it does not, on its own, define your abilities, experience, or ambitions. What matters for any particular opportunity will depend on its stated requirements and how your qualifications and other strengths meet them.

You do not need to pretend that the process will be easy. You may need to save for application expenses, research unfamiliar admission systems, prepare for standardised tests, or ask questions you do not yet know how to answer. You may encounter setbacks along the way.

However, uncertainty is not the same as ineligibility, and a lack of information is not proof that an opportunity is beyond your reach. Start by finding out what is possible. Read the requirements, seek guidance, and prepare as well as you can. When an opportunity aligns with your qualifications and goals, give yourself the chance to apply.

Momoh Adams Enemona’s story is a welcome addition to the MT Scholarship community. His representation as the first HND holder in the 2026 cohort is an encouragement to students from polytechnic backgrounds to reconsider the opportunities they pursue.

More importantly, his journey reminds us that talent can exist where access is limited, and that the right information and support can make a meaningful difference.

Your educational background may shape your path, but do not let an assumption about it decide your future for you.

Before you count yourself out, find out what you qualify for. Your next opportunity may begin with that one decision.