Hard Work or Just Luck?: My Journey from Uganda to the United States of America

Hard Work or Just Luck?: My Journey from Uganda to the United States of America

What are the odds that a boy born in a remote Ugandan village, walking miles to school, dodging danger on mountain roads, and counting his uncle’s cash by candlelight, would one day stand among America’s leading scientists, shaping policy at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency? In Hard Work or Just Luck? , Dr. Abu Senkayi shares the extraordinary true story of how he transformed impossible beginnings into a life of achievement, leadership, and purpose. From a childhood marked by poverty and family upheaval to earning scholarships that carried him across continents, to welcoming royalty as a cultural ambassador, every chapter of his life feels like an impossible door that somehow opened. But behind every twist of fate was a simple truth: he never gave up. This memoir takes you through classrooms and laboratories, across the breathtaking landscapes of East Africa, and into the heart of American public service. And above all, it answers the question we all ask: Is success something we create… or something we’re given?