The Family That Studies Together Succeeds Together

March 2025

“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” This familiar adage rings true for three siblings from Nigeria who are working together toward college degrees through BYU-Pathway Worldwide.

The Obiandu siblings—Gift, Confidence, and Virtue—come from a family that values education. Gift was first to enroll in BYU-Pathway in 2019. Soon afterward he encouraged his sister Virtue and his brother Confidence to join him.

“When I graduated from my school here in Nigeria, I had only one certificate to show for the four or five years of my educational journey,” says Gift. “It was so exciting for me to join BYU-Pathway knowing I’d have the privilege of earning more than one certificate.”

Sibling Study Group

The Obiandu siblings attended BYU-Pathway gatherings and studied together. “We talked about the lessons for the week and the principles learned, and from there we grew,” says Gift. “It was a new and exciting journey for us.” All three have completed their foundational PathwayConnect courses and are now pursuing bachelor’s degrees in applied health through BYU-Idaho.

Their studies have come with challenges, but they have drawn on each other’s strengths to support and tutor one another. “It brought us closer,” says Virtue. “It helped us grow our relationship as siblings. It was a lot easier to study together when we had challenges. We were able to help each other solve problems.”

By 2023, Gift had earned two certificates and an associate’s degree. On many nights he got little sleep because he would spend four hours a day on homework while juggling a job and his church calling as branch president. His sacrifices will soon pay off when he receives his bachelor’s degree in the near future. “It’s like the feeling of someone who is in a marathon when they get to the finish line,” he says. “That’s the same feeling I have right now.”

Virtue has completed her first certificate and is close to completing a second certificate. Confidence has faced some setbacks with his health but is diligently working toward completing his first certificate. Both are seeing immediate benefits in their current jobs as they apply the knowledge and skills they are gaining in their classes.

Fortifying Their Faith

In addition to seeing career benefits, the Obiandus each testify of the spiritual blessings they are receiving from BYU-Pathway.

“BYU-Pathway has helped me grow in my knowledge about Jesus Christ and helped me increase my scripture study and prayer,” says Virtue.

Confidence’s spiritual knowledge has increased as he studies the gospel with his siblings. “When we read scriptures and then shared experiences, it gave us an open mind to learning,” he says.

Gift says, “BYU-Pathway has the potential of not only drawing us to the Savior but enabling us to meet our goals: our career goals, our goals to build a strong family, our goals to have a strong faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ, our goals to serve wherever we find ourselves. We can become better disciples of our Savior, Jesus Christ.”