Brianna E. Plowright marked a work anniversary recently with tips and advice on how she overcame social, financial, labor challenges as an international student. On LinkedIn, the diversity advocate's message has garnered almost 47,000 views.

"Almost at my 2 year anniversary at Microsoft," Brianna wrote. Other achievements listed were multiple awards and opportunities, living in her place, getting engaged, and being an avid but passive investor.

But it took a while for things to fall in place for the young Caribbean student who set out with high hopes to get a college education in the U.S.

When Brianna came to America in 2016, she had no financial aid. After hundreds of applications for part-time jobs and corporate internships yielded nothing, the two-hour-long commutes to campus each day began to take their toll. Brianna had several "breakdowns due to being broke and homesick."

A few years after graduation, Brianna has changed her F-1 visa (an international student studying in the U.S.) to an H-1B visa for the professional worker. She is a content creator with 3.5 million views on LinkedIn and has been a cloud strategist at Microsoft for two years.

One trusted advisor and PR specialist asked Brianna's number one piece of advice for her younger self.

"As much as it may seem impossible, things always work out for the best," Brianna replied. "The rejection is redirection, and where there's a will, there's always a way."

A staff device engineer at Qorvo, shared a similar story. Henry left Jamaica with $50 in late 1984 to study electrical engineering at Howard University and lived with relatives in Maryland before starting college in the fall of 1985.

“Like you, I hoped to get a scholarship and was blessed to earn a full scholarship (after my first semester) and continued receiving scholarships for the rest of my undergrad,” Henry wrote. “I stayed on for grad school at Howard for my M.Eng. and Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering,” Henry continued. “All on full scholarship with a stipend to cover all my living expenses… I was truly blessed. Keep striving and continue to do well!”

Brianna developed a love for business operations through a jointly owned online boutique. Upon enrolling at Howard University, it was only fitting to follow her dreams and pursue a bachelor’s degree in business administration. After a rocky start, she completed her studies summa cum laude along with work experience at numerous Fortune 500 companies and job offers from Big Four consulting, accounting, and tech Firms.

Currently, Brianna works as a Cloud Supply Chain Planner for Microsoft at their headquarters in Redmond, Washington. She is also writing a memoir as she navigates corporate America and integrates her upcoming business and charity ventures with work-life.