International Education Week: Akobundu Pursues Dreams of Entrepreneurship at U of A

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Growing up in Alimosho — a city just outside the capital of Lagos State in Nigeria — Joseph Akobundu would walk about the town, seeing the "fascinating diversity" of his country at work. As a hub for technology and entertainment in Africa, Lagos attracted young entrepreneurs from across the continent, which led to an explosion of growth in Alimosho and other cities in Lagos, where he could see firsthand the flocks of young entrepreneurs seeking economic opportunity.

It was that same economic opportunity that led Akobundu to Fayetteville to attend the University of Arkansas, in search of an education that would help him achieve his dreams of becoming an entrepreneur.

"Besides the U of A philosophy of putting students first, I chose to come here because it felt like home," he said of his choice to attend the U of A. "The weather, the people, the faculty, the beautiful diverse campus and the city of Fayetteville that is constantly ranked one of the nation's five best places to live, all contributed to making the decision easy amongst the five schools that offered me a full ride."

Since he's been at the university, Akobundu has earned a master's degree in higher education and has now set his sights on another graduate degree — this time in operations management.

"I have enjoyed the privilege of quality education as a first-generation student, and I am grateful for all the opportunities I have gotten so far," he said. "I believe the future can be shaped today with good education, and since I like working with young adults, I decided to pursue a master's degree in higher education to better understand the dynamics and complexity of the higher education system in America, which serves as a bedrock to understanding other systems across the world and to help students navigate the college process. I hope to apply all I will learn in operations management to improve processes, systems, and lead times in a manufacturing company and to help this company improve on quality assurance."

After he graduates, Akobundu plans to join a technology or manufacturing company to apply his skills in project and operations management, supply chain, process improvement and quality engineering to help optimize the company's operations. And his long-term goal is to start a nonprofit that helps first-generation students matriculate into college and provides mentoring for them through their college experience.

Overall, Akobundu hopes to help others earn the same transformative international education experience as he did.

"Studying internationally has increased my global awareness, afforded me meaningful international connections with people from all around the world and gain perspective on methods of social interaction," he said. "I like the exposure to a new approach of teaching which has helped me to further develop my academic horizons and intellectual capacity. Lastly, I like the culture exposure, the food, and the amazing network of friends I have made."