Dear Prospective AIU Students, I must say that you have made the right choice to consider AIU for
your next academic endeavor. My decision to pursue a doctoral degree through AIU was prompted
based on the quest for knowledge and desire for a flexible opportunity to carry out my studies while
engaging in my day-to-day professional endeavor. As I close this chapter, I can confidently say I
was right.
This letter forms the honest opinion of my time at AIU reflecting on the critical milestones, learning
and growth opportunities all through this journey.
My Journey: I finished my master’s degree in engineering in 2014 in Electrical Engineering and
continued as an industry expert in the field of project and facilities management. In 2020, I
embarked on the search for a flexible opportunity to pursue a doctoral degree. Several options
came up, but AIU stood out due to the self-paced academic program, scholarship offers and
flexible payment option. My admission process was managed by the Admission Counselor – Judith
Brown. The entire process was meticulously carried out and I was well supported. The scholarship
opportunity also made the program affordable.
Challenges: There would be no success stories if there were no challenges on the way to success.
As a candidate from Africa, we are faced with a myriad of challenges especially with our developing
economies and cross-boarder requirements. Technology challenges were also there. But the
saying goes that “when there is a will, there’s always a way”. My story is that of the candidate who
was always looking for the way. Through dedication, hard work, commitment and resilience, I was
able to maneuver through all these challenges with the quest never to give up. I kept the goal in
view and kept pursuing. I recall days of trying to give up in attempts to write my articles and publish
them. There were turn-load of rejections, but I never gave up. Today, I am proud to have not only
submitted my thesis, but looking forward to publishing some high-level articles from the thesis.
The Win: Over the last three years, I have been deeply involved in finalizing my program and
impacting my world with the knowledge gathered. I have made several academic and professional
presentations in conferences which are based on learnings and excerpts from my doctoral
program. Some of the papers are – “FM: Thankless, Yet Rewarding – Should I Quit?” – presented
to the Institute of Workplace Facilities Management (IWFM) Nigeria Chapter at the 2024 World FM
Day Celebration – July 2024; “The Dilemma of Infrastructure Development in Nigeria: A Call for
a Shift in Financing Approach” presented to the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), Abuja
Branch in August 2024; “Building a Resilient Future and Leadership Empowerment in Facilities
Management” presented at the Association of Facilities Management Professional (AFMPN)
Conference in September 2024. Other scholarly publications have been submitted to reputable
journals and are currently being peer-reviewed.
Conclusively, the overall AIU experience is amazing and worthwhile. I encourage busy executives
and people with passion for self-paced learning to consider AIU which has provided an opportunity
for a borderless education in the 21st century.
Thank you,
Oluwaseun Yinka ALABI
