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'Failure is not the final thing': UAPB student travels from Tanzania to fulfill dreams

Abdulla Ali is graduating with a master's degree after overcoming several hurdles. He hopes his story will inspire others.

PINE BLUFF, Ark. — A University of Pine Bluff (UAPB) student is graduating December 13 after overcoming several hurdles.

He hopes his story will be an inspiration to others.

"I have a little brother, and one day I showed him a picture of Florida and I told him 'you know what? I'm going to be here one day,'" Abdulla Ali said.

Ali later met a Florida resident in Tanzania who offered to sponsor his visa so that he could continue his education.

"My dream was to become a computer scientist. In my home country, that was almost impossible," Ali said.

After several attempts to get a visa, and getting a flight to the United States, he made his trip to Florida in 2017.

"I applied to different schools and I selected this one because someone recommended it for me," Ali said.

He completed an undergraduate degree in his native country and didn't think his credits would transfer, but he got shocking news from UAPB.

"They said that you can go ahead and instead of going another four years of undergrad, you can just go ahead and apply for grad school. And I was surprised, and I was happy," Ali said.

His roommate helped him learn English and he completed his master's in computer science.

His advice: never give up on your dreams.

"Failure is not the final thing," Ali said.

Next, he plans to get his Ph.D.

"I don't have any words to explain how happy I am. I think it's because of my background and what I've been through," Ali said.

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