Growing up in The Gambia, Alfa Sano faced more hurdles to access his education than most do.

14-kilometers of walking just to get to and from school each day, followed by working on his family’s farm, and mourning the death of both of his parents before he finished school. But despite all of this, he persevered and now finds himself studying a masters degree in Europe.

But his barriers to education haven’t stopped there – with racism still making it harder for Alfa to pursue his educational goals.

So how does he manage to walk this difficult path? And what does he hope to do with his education?