Oluwaseyi Dasho: When obstacles become catalysts, doors begin to open

This piece was written in the fall of 2024 by GRAD 5144 (Communicating Science) student Oluwaseyi Dasho as part of an assignment to write a personal narrative about his research.

During my graduate program in Nigeria, I faced a situation that felt like a mountain too steep to climb: financial lack. It wasn't just that I couldn't pay my tuition fees, but I also couldn't afford to conduct any meaningful research. Research, as anyone in academia knows, comes with its own costs — sometimes even more daunting than tuition itself. This constant pressure weighed heavily on me, and I found myself desperately searching for a way out.

    The root of my problem was simple: I needed a research topic that would cost next to nothing to address. I scoured the internet, talked to colleagues, and read papers, hoping to stumble across something feasible. Then, almost serendipitously, I discovered the existence of freely available satellite radar data. It was like finding treasure, but there was a catch — I had no idea how to process it, and there was no one around who did either. The skills required to work with the data just weren’t common in my academic environment.

    Determined not to let this stop me, I dove headfirst into learning how to process the data. I spent countless hours watching online tutorials, reading articles, and teaching myself the fundamentals of remote sensing. I felt a sense of accomplishment with every new concept I mastered, but a harsh reality soon hit me: I didn’t have the computing power to process the data. I needed a high-powered computer, the kind I couldn’t possibly afford at the time. My progress came to a standstill, and after months of frustration, I had no choice but to abandon the research prospect altogether.

    But something unexpected happened in the midst of this. Even though I couldn’t carry out my own research, I realized that I had acquired a skill that was rare in my environment. There were people with access to high-performance computers but without the knowledge of how to process satellite radar data. So I decided to turn my knowledge into a resource for others. I began organizing training sessions, teaching people how to process the data for their own research or projects. 

    What started as a small effort turned into a lucrative venture. I was earning enough money from the paid training sessions to cover my fees and other expenses. It was an empowering shift — I went from feeling defeated by my financial limitations to finding a way to leverage my unique skills. In a way, the obstacle of not having a powerful computer became the catalyst for creating an entirely new opportunity. It was a lesson I’ve carried with me ever since: sometimes, the very thing that holds you back can open doors you never expected.