Most MBA Students Fight To Be Heard. This Kellogg Grad Had To Learn To Hear Again

When Sabur Ajao arrived at Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management in the fall of 2022, he brought with him more than a résumé stacked with experience in cybersecurity and international ambition. He carried something less visible — and far more isolating.

“I walked into Kellogg with hearing aids and a lot of frustration,” Ajao says. “They amplified everything — not just the voices I wanted to hear, but every background noise, every distraction. It was exhausting. It made business school harder than it had to be.”

Now, less than two years later, Ajao is a 2024 MBA graduate working at McKinsey & Company. And the transformation that helped him thrive didn’t come solely from a case study or a summer internship. It came from a calculated risk — one that involved surgery, months of rehabilitation, and a determination to show others what’s possible when you stop hiding your hearing loss and start owning it.

‘I KNEW I HAD TO DO SOMETHING’

Ajao, originally from Ibadan, Nigeria, first began losing his hearing after high school. By 2019, he was using hearing aids to manage day-to-day interactions in the fast-paced world of tech and consulting. But they weren’t enough.

“I used to just try and fight through it. Smile and nod. Try to bluff my way through conversations,” he says. “People thought I was being aloof or arrogant. But I couldn’t keep up. And I knew that if I wanted to go as far as I was capable of, I had to own the vulnerability.”

He began researching cochlear implants — a more advanced solution typically offered to people with profound hearing loss. His brother had one. But Ajao learned the success rate varied, and the surgery wasn’t guaranteed to work. 

Still, he took the leap.

In February 2023, midway through his first year at Kellogg, Ajao underwent surgery to implant his first device. “It was a calculated risk,” he says. “My metrics were simple. I wanted to see if I could thrive in a high-pressure environment like McKinsey. If I got the return offer from my internship, that meant it worked.”

TESTING HIS LIMITS — AND HIS NEW HEARING

With only one implant and a summer internship approaching, Ajao pushed himself into one of the most demanding work environments in the business world. “I asked every interviewer to wear a microphone that streamed directly into my implant,” he says. “I wasn’t going to pretend I didn’t have hearing loss anymore. That was a big mental shift.”

The result? He not only received a full-time offer — he also found confirmation that his new hearing technology could support his ambitions. That August, he underwent surgery for a second cochlear implant. “It’s not perfect,” he says. “But cochlear implants are smart. They prioritize what you’re focusing on. It’s like having a computer in your ear.”

A WHOLE NEW WORLD AT KELLOGG

The difference was immediate — and dramatic. “Suddenly I could listen to case studies while walking to class, while cooking, while working out,” he says. “It saved me hours. I could participate more confidently in class. And because my memory had been sharpened from years of compensating, I retained everything.”

He finished Kellogg strong and left as one of the few MBA grads — anywhere — to complete the program with dual cochlear implants.

And he made sure others knew it.

“This is a story a lot of people don’t tell,” Ajao says. “Especially in business school, where everyone’s trying to show how put-together they are. But representation matters. And if even one person hears my story and gets checked out — that’s a win.”

FROM SURVIVOR TO MENTOR

Since receiving his implants, Ajao has become a mentor for others with hearing loss, especially families considering implants for their children. Through organizations like Advanced Bionics, a platform that connects cochlear implant recipients with parents and young candidates, Ajao now speaks with dozens of families — many of whom are skeptical of medical professionals, or simply afraid of what the future might look like.

“I tell them what I’ve gone through, what’s worked, and what hasn’t,” he says. “A lot of parents don’t need a medical explanation — they need to see someone who looks like them, who’s done this, and who’s succeeding. And sometimes, that’s more powerful than anything a doctor can say.”

He also helps bridge cultural and socioeconomic divides, particularly in Africa, where hearing aids and implants remain out of reach for many. “I know I’ve been lucky,” Ajao says. “In Nigeria, most people pay out of pocket. There are no insurance plans, no payment structures. So when I talk to families, I try to bring honesty — but also hope.”

His work has extended beyond one-on-one conversations. Ajao frequently speaks to audiology students about the need for more empathetic care. “I found out that audiology programs are overwhelmingly female — in one class I spoke to, only three of forty students were men. It’s a space that needs more diverse representation, not just in patients but in providers.”

REDEFINING INCLUSION

At Kellogg, Ajao became a quiet but powerful advocate for accessibility and inclusion. “If someone on a team has a hearing issue and they ask for accommodations, everyone benefits,” he says. “The discussions become more focused. The learning environment gets better for everyone.”

He also believes that disclosure can change perceptions. “When people know, they listen differently,” he says. “But when they don’t know, they assume you’re distracted, or rude, or just checked out.”

Still, Ajao knows the responsibility isn’t just on those with hearing loss. “The burden shouldn’t always fall on us to explain or to prove ourselves,” he says. “But until there’s more awareness, we need more people willing to speak up.”

LOOKING FORWARD

Now in a full-time role at McKinsey, Ajao remains optimistic — and realistic. “It’s not that everything is perfect now,” he says. “But I’ve given myself a chance to fully show up. And that’s everything.”

He hopes to keep mentoring others, continue breaking stereotypes, and help normalize hearing technology in the business world.

“I didn’t meet anyone else with a cochlear implant at Kellogg. I still haven’t met one at McKinsey,” he says. “But I know we’re out there. And I want those people to know: you’re not alone.”

Sabur Ajao is open to connecting with others navigating hearing loss or considering cochlear implants. He can be reached at afoo.ajao@gmail.com.