The road to success has been paved with many obstacles for Blessing Osazuwa to overcome.

A first-generation American, she’s lost family members to disease, faced real trauma in her life, and dealt with her share of financial struggles, but has continued to overcome adversity.

Today the 22-year-old music major, originally from Ardmore, Pa. is thriving. She was recently named as one of four Montgomery County Community College students selected for the 2019-2020 All-Pennsylvania Academic Team, which is sponsored by Phi Theta Kappa, the international honor society for two-year colleges, and the Pennsylvania Commission for Community Colleges.

The recognition honors an exceptional group of community college students who have achieved academic excellence and demonstrated a commitment to their colleges and communities. To qualify, students must have completed at least 36 credits and have a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher. 

The four students excel academically, earning their places on the dean’s list and as members of PTK, and they are actively involved on campus and in their communities.

“This award means a lot to me,” said Osazuwa. “It’s validation of how hard I’ve worked to be recognized. It’s such a great feeling.”

Getting to this point for Osazuwa wasn’t easy. Her life has been filled with heartbreak and pain from an early age. Her mother, Victoria, a native of Uganda, died when Osazuwa was just 2 years old. Then her younger sister, Uche, died at the age of 13, when Osazuwa was a freshman at Lower Merion High School. Both family members died of sickle cell anemia.

Until recently, Osazuwa lived with her dad, Timothy, himself a native of Nigeria. She currently lives in Drexel Hill, Pa., with the Rev. Dr. Lisa Farrell, her pastor at Penn Wynne Presbyterian Church in Wynnewood, Pa.

After graduation in 2016, Osazuwa’s pain continued when she became a victim of sexual assault. It happened on campus at a four-year institution, where she was a first-year student, she said. The trauma from the event, and the lack of support she said she experienced left her feeling so alone and scarred that she tried to commit suicide multiple times.

After finally getting the help she desperately needed, Osazuwa decided to turn her life around. She enrolled in MCCC’s Central Campus in Blue Bell to begin her journey towards working in the music industry as a singer/songwriter.

“Being at Montco, it’s built a strength in me. I’m not going to let this violence define me,” she said. “I’m going to move forward. I wish it didn’t happen, but I’ve definitely put it behind me.”

Osazuwa also found support at school when she began struggling financially. During her first semester in 2018, she was going through a rough patch and her electricity was turned off. When she confided her issue with her professor, they reached out to her counselor and helped her gain access to the community food pantry and other accommodations.

“Montco people are amazing,” she said. “It is such a supportive community. There’s no place like it. I’m so proud to be graduating from Montco.”

Today, Osazuwa is facing a new challenge: overcoming the hardships of a global pandemic. As a childcare worker, she hasn’t been able to work in weeks. “Income is like pretty much nonexistent,” she said.

On top of that, she’s trying to balance her current course load, which recently moved entirely online, as well as her independent voice lessons.

“Music is hard to do online,” she said, adding it’s been hard to adjust to the changes. “It’s definitely different but you make it work.”   

During normal conditions, you’ll find Osazuwa heavily involved in her community. She sings in the praise choir at her church, serves as a mentor in her youth group, fights for causes she believes in as a political activist and volunteers in the juvenile justice division program for a non-profit social service agency in Philadelphia.

After she graduates from MCCC this spring, Osazuwa plans to continue studying music in the fall at a four-year college or university. She’s already received acceptance letters from West Chester University and Mansfield University of Pennsylvania and is waiting to hear from a few other schools before making her decision.

Getting this far, however, in spite of all the obstacles she’s faced, is reason enough to celebrate. Being named to the All-Pennsylvania Academic Team is just icing on the cake.

“I know that I will be able to complete my bachelor’s degree,” she said. “I come from a low-income, immigrant family, so that means the world. I’m honored to get that recognition.”