I came to the Full-time MBA at Smith School of Business because ...

I believe in challenging myself and seeing how much I can grow. I started my research early, and I itemized what I wanted out of an MBA program, which was divided into technical skills and soft skills. Living in the AI world at the moment, I understand that the technical skills will become abundant, but the importance of soft skills will become more important. One thing on the list was to improve my communication, leadership and teamwork spirit. Most MBA programs I looked into had the technical skill training relating to Finance, but Smith stood out as a leader in leadership and team-based learning, and the plus is the large community of Alumni that are ready to help out in all capacities.

If I could go back and give myself advice one year ago, I would start applying my leadership skills and become more exposed to other cultures. Smith MBA students are very diverse, and the understanding of how people from different cultures and backgrounds work together is very important. There are different opportunities to improve these skills during the program; however, having a foundation in this area would help.

A best practice for an applicant would be to be open to learning and be open to live outside of one's comfort zone. There are so many activities that will test you during the MBA program. There is also help available, so don’t be scared to try things.

I come from an engineering background, but I would like to open myself to different areas, especially potential careers in finance and consulting. I would also like to continue to develop my communication skills, leadership and team spirit.

• Hometown: Whitehorse, Yukon
• Country of Origin: Nigeria
• Prior Industry: Engineering (Construction Management)
• Career Focus: Finance