She wanted to use the opportunity to attain higher education, but that dream was deterred when she failed to find her grounding in the new country. "The journey for this degree was not an easy one, because in the beginning, I had a set plan and it didn't go the way I thought it would when I moved to America. I didn't have a stable home here and I had to stay with friends, which didn't last long.
Seeing that I was struggling to keep a roof over my head at the time, I decided to take a break to get my life in order," Dennis related. The 27-year-old explained that for two years, she paused her studies at the Kean University in New Jersey and gained employment at a furniture store as a manager. She was also a part-time hairstylist, in efforts of securing her own apartment.
Seven years later, Dennis is now beaming with joy, having graduated last weekend with her bachelor's degree in political science. Ending her four-year programme with a grade point average of 3.7, the Olympic Gardens, St Andrew native is proud to be a first-generation, tertiary-level graduate.
She was also inducted into the political science honours society, scholar honours society, and was a member of the African association club. "My family is very proud of me. They can't stop singing my praises.
My mother called everyone around the world that she knows just to share the good news. My dad is also proud of me because he knows what it took for me to get here. My grandma and aunty flew in as well for the graduati.