QS Leadership Scholarship Winner: Azubuike Achara

We’re thrilled to announce that this year’s winner of the QS Leadership Scholarship is Azubuike Achara. The QS Leadership scholarship is designed to identify applicants who demonstrate an exceptionally strong level of leadership and innovative thinking. It’s awarded to one recipient and is worth US$10,000.

Azubuike will be pursuing his MBA at Harvard Business School (HBS), a school he chose due to its outstanding reputation (currently ranked the best in the world according to our rankings), the renowned Case Method teaching style, and the stellar alumni network.

He originally studied engineering, and before deciding to undertake an MBA he first worked as a management consultant and then as a flow assurance practitioner specializing in solving operations related problems in the Oil and Gas industry for a major multinational energy company. However, his great passion has always been solving problems that impact humankind and the environment at large:

“While my engineering career has enabled me to do this to some extent, I can’t help but feel that there’s more. What ‘more’ means is still not clear to me and this is one of the main reasons why I’ve decided to study for an MBA. The MBA is one of the few programs that equips one with a structured thinking approach to solving problems while simultaneously exposing one to life-changing experiences.”

However, the world of business is not the only place Azubuike has ambitions in:

“I’ve always been interested in epic literature and I launched a ‘minor’ career in this field when I co-authored a fantasy fiction novel in 2016. I’ve since written a second unpublished novel and am currently writing a third in the same genre. Who knows, perhaps I might be able to secure a decent publishing deal on the back of the network I’m seeking to gain at HBS?”

After completing his MBA, Azubuike’s long-term goal is to become a turnaround executive, which he hopes to achieve through a path of careers in operations management consulting and operations-side private equity. However, he understands that the MBA journey may throw up new experiences and ideas for his future career.

Azubuike is realistic about the MBA scholarship application process, noting that: “Like MBA applications, scholarships are just as competitive and aren’t as readily available as many people may have you believe when considering an MBA.” He does point out that it’s not all bad news though, with schools like HBS offering needs-based scholarships, as well as the chance to apply for external scholarships like the QS Leadership Scholarship.

Azubuike is emphatic about the difference that his QS Leadership Scholarship will make to his MBA experience, significantly lessening his financial concerns:

“To put it in perspective, the amount is sufficient to cover the first year’s rent in HBS’s dormitories. Without this financial support, I would have had to increase my loans by $10,000 at interest rates above 5%. I’m grateful and quite frankly, honoured, that out of a vast pool of applicants, QS singled me out for this scholarship.”

Azubuike also attended the QS MBA World Tour in Lagos, an event he enjoyed because he got to hear about the value propositions of a variety of business schools worldwide, as well as catching up with old friends and networking with new faces. He recommends that future attendees go to the events with “an open but purposeful mind”, recommending prior research on the schools exhibiting so you have an idea of the best questions to ask them. He also notes that networking with other business school aspirants will give further insight into the MBA and schools you may be considering.

Advice for other scholarship applicants

“Don’t self-select out of the process! I almost did this with QS MBA Scholarship for Leadership. For some reason, I didn’t think I could compete. Fortunately, one of my interns encouraged me to go for it and I did. Imagine my surprise and joy when I got the winner notification email. Therefore, I re-iterate: don’t self-select out of the process. Believe in yourself and give it your best.”