Hi, I’m Anthony, a UX designer with a heart full of stories and a mind determined to create meaningful experiences. My journey hasn’t been straightforward, but every challenge, every delay, and every twist along the way has shaped who I am today.

I was born and raised in Nigeria, a place where you are often required to put in twice the effort to have a better life. Life taught me early that nothing comes easy, but hard work can open doors. When I was six, my family received news that my aunt in the U.S. had filed for our relocation. It was a beacon of hope, a promise of something greater. But then cold silence. For nearly 14 years, we waited, unsure if that promise would ever materialize.

In the meantime, life moved on. As a teenager, I worked in my mother’s small sales business alongside my brother. I hated it at first, I was 14 years old and I wanted to hang out with friends, and not spend weekends working. But my brother reminded me that we had to help, and over time, I unknowingly gained skills that would shape my future, the ability to connect with people, negotiate, empathize, and solve problems.

When it was time for college, I pursued Microbiology, partly out of interest, but mostly to make my parents proud. In Nigeria, careers in law and medicine are seen as the pinnacle of success, and anything outside of that felt like a gamble. But during my final year, a friend introduced me to UI design, and something inside me shifted. For the first time, I felt an excitement I had never felt before. It was like stumbling upon a hidden part of myself that had been waiting to be discovered. But doubt crept in, I didn't know if this was something I should focus on or even pursue a career in. Could I build a future in design when I had spent years studying something else, I said to myself.

Then, life threw another curveball. After more than a decade of waiting, my family received an email from the U.S. government, that our immigration process was finally moving forward. We were overwhelmed with joy, but before we could fully grasp it, the world shut down. COVID-19 brought everything to a standstill. Once again, we became uncertain about what was to happen next.

Stuck in lockdown, I had a choice, I could sit and wait, or I could use this time to chase the passion that had ignited in me. I chose the latter. I spent hours learning UI design, immersing myself in Figma, and creating projects that, at the time, felt small but were huge steps in my growth.

In 2021, while serving in Nigeria’s NYSC program, we kept pushing, sending emails to the U.S. embassy, hoping for a response. And then, finally, in early 2022, we got another message, our interview date. But there was one problem: we needed to be vaccinated first, and the earliest appointments fell after our interview date. It felt like history was repeating itself like we were about to be thrown back into the waiting game. My mother cried, fearing we had lost our chance again. But then, as if the universe itself wanted this to happen, the embassy postponed our interview to May. It felt like destiny.

That May, we were approved. But life, as always, had one more test for us, my eldest brother wasn’t. He had aged out of eligibility. Our joy was overshadowed by heartbreak, knowing we would have to leave him behind. The embassy assured us we could file for him later, but that didn’t ease the pain of saying goodbye.

In August 2022, we arrived in the United States. Everything was different, the air, the roads, the opportunities. I looked around and told myself, I will make it here.

I worked as a substitute teacher and a brand ambassador, sharpening my ability to communicate, engage, and understand people. But something was missing. My UI designs felt hollow like they lacked the soul I wanted to pour into them. That’s when I realized, that design isn’t just about aesthetics, it’s about people. It’s about understanding their needs, their struggles, their desires.

I took a deep dive into UX, enrolling in CareerFoundry’s UX Immersion program. And suddenly, everything made sense. Every experience, my years working in sales, my struggles with uncertainty, my ability to connect with people, all of it was leading me here.

Today, I design with purpose. I create experiences that not only look good but feel good, ones that truly resonate with people. My journey has been unconventional, filled with detours and unexpected turns, but I wouldn’t change a thing. Because every step, every challenge, has led me to where I’m meant to be.

And this is just the beginning.