From selling peanuts on the streets of Nigeria to help provide for her family to moving to the United States alone at the age of nineteen with only fifty dollars in her pocket, Patience Atebata isn’t letting her past define her future. Now, as a senior finance student at BYU Marriott and member of the United States military, Atebata is following her dreams to provide a better life for her family and one day give back to her home country.
Atebata grew up in Benin City, Nigeria, and is one of eight children. At the age of twelve, she lost her mother to illness; her father was left to raise the kids on his own. Atebata’s father worked as a personal driver doing all he could to earn money for his family, but food and water were hard to come by, and they often ate only one meal every day or two. “Sometimes we had to wait until midnight or 1:00 a.m. for my dad to get home from work to bring back food to eat,” says Atebata. “He would wake us up. We would split some bread and drink some water, and then we would go back to bed.”
To help her family, Atebata started selling goods on the streets from a young age. She sold everything from peanuts and water to bread from the local bakery. “When you are born into a situation like that, you naturally want to help and change things,” says Atebata. “People could call it child labor, but I was trying to survive and help my family.” The money she earned may not have been much, but she did whatever she could to help provide for the basic needs of her family.
Poverty and cultural norms in Nigeria meant that education wasn’t readily available to Atebata and her siblings. There were fees for schooling that her family couldn’t afford to pay, and people in her community viewed education as being only important for boys and men. “I have six sisters and one brother,” says Atebata. “For the girls in my family, gaining an education was challenging because people didn’t see any reason for women to receive an education or to be anything other than someone’s wife.”
Women in Atebata’s hometown often faced the fate of being married off to men who could financially support them; they had no say in the matter. The thought of having her future decided by someone else motivated Atebata to leave Nigeria in search of a better life.
“I was motivated to go because I wanted to contribute to society,” says Atebata. “I was scared that my life was going to end up like everyone else around me. I wanted to be able to marry who I wanted instead of marrying someone just because they could support me financially.” She wanted freedom, and she knew she would have to leave Nigeria to gain the opportunities she was looking for in life.
With the determination to make a better life for herself, Atebata moved to Utah by herself at the age of nineteen. She had fifty dollars in her pocket and knew no one. “I knew it would be hard, but I also knew I would survive,” recalls Atebata. As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Atebata chose Utah because it was comforting to her to be around people who held similar beliefs.
To get on her feet and provide for herself, Atebata did whatever she could, including cleaning houses, babysitting, and even working a construction job. After four years of working hard and saving every penny, she started her academic career at BYU Marriott in the finance program.
As a result of her childhood poverty, finance was the major Atebata felt naturally drawn to. The fact that she grew up struggling to get food and water made her want to pursue a degree that would help her learn fundamentals in managing money. “I chose finance to be able to someday help people and teach them how they can save for their future,” says Atebata. “To alleviate poverty in my own way is my number one reason for studying finance.”
While at times she has struggled, Atebata has loved her time in the finance program. “The program is hard, but what they teach helps build your analytical thinking and critical thinking skills,” says Atebata. She loves the people she has met and appreciates the help professors give their students. Atebata truly feels like the faculty at BYU Marriott go above and beyond to help their students learn and succeed.
For Atebata, the success she has achieved since coming to the United States and starting the BYU Marriott finance program has not only blessed her life but also the lives of her siblings. She has helped her younger sister come to the United States to attend school at BYU–Idaho and has helped another sister start a small business back in Nigeria. “Coming to America by myself and helping most of my family become more financially stable has been the greatest reward,” says Atebata.
During her time at BYU, Atebata has also been part of the National Guard. After joining in 2015, Atebata completed one semester at BYU before leaving for basic combat training. “I joined the army thinking I wanted to serve and contribute to society, but in fact the army has blessed my life more than I could have ever imagined,” says Atebata. “I have learned lifelong skills that I will carry with me after my time in the army comes to an end. It has been an honor to serve.” Atebata currently holds the rank of sergeant and will complete her time with the National Guard in 2021.
Though she doesn’t know her career plans after graduation or what she’ll do when she leaves the military, Atebata is excited to see what life has in store for her. She has received multiple job offers and is in the process of deciding what that next step will be. Ultimately Atebata hopes to return to Nigeria and give back to her community.
“For now, I’m trying to work and save some money so that I can do the things that my heart really desires,” she says. “I want to go back to my community to help people, even if I just make one or two lives better. That’s my purpose in life.”
Atebata wants young girls from similar backgrounds to know that they can achieve whatever they set their minds to. “You can do anything you have the determination to do,” says Atebata. “Anything can be learned, and you may have to put in a little bit more work, but it’s much more rewarding.” She realizes there are challenges, but she knows anything is possible. “Your past does not predict your future,” says Atebata. “You're going to be scared and have anxiety and self-doubt, but you must put faith in front of your fears and keep going.”
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Writer: Natalie Heidemann
