The Alum Sessions: Abdul-Azeez Lanihun on International Opportunities and the Importance of Positioning
The Commonwealth scholar and former NIPSA President talks about his time as an APSULite, his journey to international degree programs, and his views on building before graduation. By Iyore Elegon.
Typically, we’d leave the announcements and appeals till the end of the letter, but two of our own —second-year APSULites— were affected in the recent Block 5 fire outbreak and are in need of our help and support. For monetary support, please send in your donations to Idris Foaziyat Moyosore (2290092103 United Bank for Africa). Thank you. And now for this week’s instalment of the Alum Sessions.
For this instalment of the Alum Sessions, I had the opportunity to sit down with Abdul-Azeez Lanihun, and there is only one way to describe the interview: I was challenged!
Abdul-Azeez Lanihun's academic journey is the stuff of dreams. With his first-class degree in Pharmacology, he interned at the Vascular Biology Laboratory, Kings College, London. He went on to apply for fully-funded post-graduate scholarships, where he landed the Commonwealth Masters Scholarship and got the opportunity to travel to the UK to complete a Master's degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences at Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen.
He travelled in 2020 for the Master's program, but COVID struck that year, preventing him from receiving the immersive laboratory experience he had hoped for. But that did not deter Azeez, who started another degree at Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville, which has fueled his current pursuit of a PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences at Howard University.
Like many APSULites, the pharmacologist and Commonwealth scholar did not choose Pharmacology. In his words, "Pharmacology chose me." Confident that he would make the most of it, he stuck with the course, finishing his first year with a first-class GPA.
On conferences and getting a wake-up call
During his second year, Lanihun had the opportunity to attend one of NIPSA's conferences in Delta State, which he referred to as an eye-opener.
"The realities of pharmacology in Nigeria were made apparent to us during the conference by one of the chief speakers, and it was nerve-wracking, but she encouraged us to finish our B.Sc. degree with nothing less than the best because that was the only way we were going to get good opportunities both in and out of the country," he said.
"I took this advice as a wake-up call, with more resolve to make the best of Pharmacology as a course because nobody was going to help me with that."
If there was one thing we learned from this interview, it's that we get to choose what we want our undergraduate experience to be and become.
On being the NIPSA President
Anyone juggling many interests alongside being a student understands how taxing it can be to navigate this place, and Lanihun is not a stranger to this feat. During his undergraduate studies, he served as the president of NIPSA. But he was not just any kind of president. He was committed to ensuring he and his team rewrote the script left in the previous administration and fought to regain the student body's trust.
"Juggling things is about priority and using the resources at your disposal. It is easy to become distracted at school because there is always something else to do: a party tonight or a movie to see the following weekend. So, you must be aware of your priorities. It all boils down to this: 'What are you looking for?' and early on, you must try to answer this question yourself," he expressed.
"Try and get a picture of where you want to be. The steps might not be clear early on, but you must at least have an idea of where you want to go. I knew I was in pharmacology; I knew I liked research and development, and I also knew that I couldn't burden my parents with the responsibility of handling my post-graduate studies. These [factors] propelled me to ask myself what I needed to do to get to where I needed to be, and I knew post-graduate scholarships would facilitate that.
Aside from academics, these people look for applicants with leadership skills, which is how I got involved in NIPSA activities and eventually became president."
"For me, the key factor is motivation. I knew what I wanted, and I committed myself to it."
On post-graduate life
If you are anything like me, then you have pondered one too many times about life after Pharmacology. I know I have had my fair share of wrestling with expectations concerning post-graduate life, and it was comforting to learn from Lanihun that I wasn't alone in this.
"I will be honest and tell you that I didn't want to graduate. As the time drew near, I was filled with more dread than excitement because many of us didn't know what was out there for us. My mates and I often lamented how Pharmacology wasn't five years. And that was not because we wanted it to be longer; it was because we were struggling to come to terms with the reality of what life would be like after our degree," he shared.
"But to this, I'd say, trust the process. Be committed to ensuring you make the most of your current moment and do right by yourself to do everything excellently. Be open-minded; don't be so rigid with whatever plan you might have regarding where you want to go. You might have just a glimpse, but the form of the 'how-to' will always change at every point in time, and this is where you must be flexible," he added.
On international scholarships and the importance of positioning
"For scholarships, one thing you must realize is that you have to position yourself and know the requirements for whatever opportunity you are interested in," he said.
"I already knew about the Commonwealth Scholarship as an undergraduate, which propelled me to take on leadership roles. The emphasis has always been the same: "Where am I going next, and how can I get there?" You might not know the full scope, but you must at least know the next 2 or 3 steps.
Positioning yourself involves determining the opportunity you're interested in, doing adequate research concerning it, being aware of the requirements for the opportunity, and taking steps to meet those requirements. Please do not wait until you have graduated to do this, as it may be too late to prepare.
Also, you need to build a good rapport with your faculty and lecturers because you will need their recommendations. It is the one thing that has made the process easier because I didn't have to worry about my lecturers. I knew they would be very supportive once I reached out to them. To date, once I reach out, they are quick to respond because of the relationships I built with them.
Don't make the relationship about 'I would need them for a recommendation letter' and then be doing eye service. No. Make the effort to know them and be present in their world. Try to impact their lives and be sincere about your relationship with them.
Do your research. The world is a global village, and so many resources exist to help you. Make Google your best friend, and you will thank yourself for it.
Get like-minded people who are also desirous of the same opportunities as you are. Why? Because the rejection letters will come, you'd need to continue cheering each other on.
Improve your writing skills. Take a shot at writing personal statements, reference letters, and the like. The more you do it, the better you will get at it. For example, if you are interested in scholarships abroad, you can try out applications in your 400L. Some admissions in the United States allow for free applications. Let's say you even get to the interview stage. That validation alone is enough motivation and confidence for the next round, even if you don't get the scholarship.
In academics, if you are very close to a 2.1, try your best to finish with a first-class grade; if you're on a 2.2 CGPA, fight to finish with a second-class upper. Do whatever you can to finish well because the journey is not measured by how you start but how you finish.
While you wait for the process to click, look for other things that excite you. Be resourceful, take on jobs, learn new things, etc.
Lastly, you must be hungry for it! These are things that I believe would help you be successful in this regard.
In The Lab
We’re officially two weeks away from APSoUL’s first anniversary. May 8th: mark your calendars, and prepare your coins.
We have one more Alum Session and it’s bye for now. We hope you have enjoyed this series as much as we enjoyed producing it.
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