After 52 Applications, Nigerian Creative Misturah Owolabi Wins Commonwealth Scholarship

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Summary: Misturah Abisola Owolabi, popularly known as Misty, a Cannes Lions-winning Nigerian creative, has secured a fully funded Master’s Scholarship to Sussex University. 

Misturah Abisola Owolabi, popularly known as Misty, a Cannes Lions-winning Nigerian creative, has secured a fully funded Master’s Scholarship to Sussex University after 52 applications.

She is the founder of Misty Glam Company (MGC), Nigeria’s first fully inclusive commercial modelling agency, which celebrates models of diverse skin tones, body types, and identities, including people with disabilities and visible differences. 

Over the last ten years of her professional career, Misturah has established herself as a Cannes Lions-winning copywriter, contributing to Nigeria and West Africa’s first-ever win at the world’s most prestigious international festival of creativity in 2023.

Beyond her landmark achievements, she has mentored over 50 copywriters through her creative agency, started a disability-focused media company, co-founded an adaptive clothing line for people with disabilities, built a gamified disability education tech product, and led the team that created Nigeria’s first Albinism Advocacy Pageant in 2025, alongside publishing the first-ever dictionary of disability-inclusive language, Before You Say That.

According to her, she had received numerous rejections between October 2025 and February 2026, which made her doubt herself and her career, and even raised concerns about her 4.45 GPA. 

“I started wondering if it was my 4.45 GPA. Or the nine-year gap since my BSc. Maybe I had waited too long. Maybe I was no longer the kind of candidate these opportunities were looking for. Maybe I even needed to scale my work or publish more research,” she said.

Her post also revealed that this scholarship is particularly significant because it came after she stopped expecting further positive responses and surpassed previous offers. Reflecting on the achievement, the new Commonwealth Scholar described it as a culmination of years of professional work, sleepless nights and persistence.

“I’ve achieved a lot of things in my life, but you see this particular win? I still can’t find the words. Just pure gratitude in my heart,” she said. “I’m officially a Commonwealth Scholar, you guys!”