Meet Foster’s MBA Class of 2018

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Oluyinka Awobiyi

Foster School of Business, University of Washington

Describe yourself in 15 words or less: A complete optimist and activity junkie who goes for her dreams no matter the odds.

Hometown: Lagos, Nigeria

Fun Fact About Yourself: I am an avid canine lover. I have owned nine dogs in my lifetime.

Undergraduate School and Major: University of Lagos, Nigeria- Economics Major

Employers and Job Titles Since Graduation:

British American Tobacco – Brand Executive

Greenwich Trust Limited – Corporate Finance Analyst

Bromwich Consulting – Marketing Research Analyst 

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: The opportunity to represent my home country company on an international assignment at the corporate headquarters; I managed a global brand with a footprint in 30 countries across Western and Eastern Europe, Asia and Africa.

Looking back on your experience, what advice would you give to future business school applicants? Congratulations on your decision to pursue an MBA! Although it requires a great deal of effort, the end-point is quite rewarding both personally and professionally. In a world where there are endless choices of business schools and countries where one can acquire an MBA, it is important to begin with an end in mind. This will guide your selection of an MBA program best suited to your career choice and desired experiences. With an end in mind, you will also come across as focused and decisive; a key attribute I found a lot of reputable business schools look out for.

What led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA? Although I had dual admissions from two highly ranked MBA programs in the United States, I chose the Foster MBA program. My major attraction to Foster was the right balance of academic rigor and hands-on opportunities for leadership development. The rigorous core curriculum coupled with the customizable second year curriculum, provided me an opportunity to hone my technical skills and the option of exploring more than one area of business for my MBA concentration.

Also, the strong career management team, which provides extensive support to candidates through a career coaching and mentoring program, gave me the confidence that my potential in business school will be translated to a thriving career post-MBA. These, in addition to opportunities to learn by doing through the consulting programs, Board Fellowship and other experiential learning programs, provided me the perfect mix I need to realize my short- and long-term career goals.

Tell us about your dream job or dream employer at this point in your life? My dream job post-MBA is the role of Business Development and Strategy Manager with at least 30 direct reports in a consumer goods multinational. I have a long-term career goal to lead an entire organization in the position of Chief Executive Officer. At this stage of my career, I believe I need to deepen my business experience and build on my finance and brand marketing background to gain a holistic view of business operations. I also deem more years of people management a critical part of my preparation for my long term career objective.

What would you like your business school peers to say about you after you graduate from this program? I would like my peers to say that I was a very involved person in all aspects of the program and that I displayed collaborative and leadership qualities that were instrumental to the success of my class and project groups.

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