Nnebuogor Frances Ikem, Extended Education grad
Extended Education grads celebrate certificates and community
Marking their milestones
On June 17, about 350 Extended Education international students who completed our Applied Business Management, Applied Business Analysis, and Applied Human Resources Management program packages will celebrate their graduation.
Nnebuogor Frances Ikem, Applied Business Management
Nnebuogor Frances Ikem worked as a business analyst for Krysny Nigeria Ltd, a paint company. She studied philosophy, leadership and innovation in her native Nigeria and attended short programs in India. But she wanted more.
“I wanted to improve myself and get a proper certificate,” says the Applied Business Management grad. “My elder sister studied with Extended Education. She told me it was the right place for me to go to and the program was in line with what I was trying to do. UM is one of the top universities in the world. Their education standards are next to none.”
Her sister introduced her to the city and campus during the winter.
“It was the coldest place I had ever been. But I was super excited. I wrote my name in the snow. I love Winnipeg. The people are friendly and warm.”
Now she recommends Extended Education to everyone. “If you want to update the knowledge you already have, they give you all you need to study and learn more. They polished us so we came out better than the older version of ourselves.”
Her sister and nephew will attend grad with her. “I feel so proud of myself. So happy that I studied and got results. If you sit down and put your mind to something, you can achieve it.”
She is especially proud of completing accounting. “As someone who always ran from math, not the best student, I had never done accounting in my life. Initially I was scared. I had tutors. I did well. I was not left on my own. The school made it happen.”
Her Industry Placement as an administrative assistant at the Elizabeth Fry Society made her part of the team and provided insights and inspiration. “How they rekindle hope in young women and integrate them back into society, to believe in themselves, is amazing. They don’t judge. They treat everyone with respect. I learned about Indigenous culture. I will always cherish learning from them.”
Since she completed her studies, she says she misses the UM community and hopes to come back and do her Master’s in Business Administration.
Abdulrazak Yusuf, Extended Education grad
Abdulrazak Yusuf, Applied Business Analysis
Abdulrazak Yusuf celebrates his graduation from Applied Business Analysis.
In Nigeria, Yusuf had a bachelor’s degree in geography and social sciences, and experience with business process management and consulting. “I enjoy the people part of it, engaging with people across departments, looking at how processes run and making improvements.”
He found his Extended Education program while doing online research. “I was drawn to the richness of the course. It was not just business analysis but also communication, leadership, organizational change. Presentation skills were very, very useful. When presenting to stakeholders, the right skills are important.”
UM offered a lively community, he says. “The diversity was very engaging. I made friends across different countries and environments. Multiculturalism — meeting different people with different perspectives, really enriched my experience. There were a lot of activities. I became involved in volunteer programs through UM including Canadian Blood Services.”
Yusuf did his Industry Placement with U-Turn Parkinson’s.
“I want to work in healthcare. With this not-for-profit, I looked at data analytics and processes, to see how they run and find more capabilities within their existing business solutions.”
He learned about Winnipeg from a friend who had come here to take another program and was initially apprehensive about the winter weather. “I learned it was not about the weather. It was about dressing in the right clothing, having a good coat and boots from the beginning.”
While the weather takes some getting used to, he says, plans to bring his family to Winnipeg and make himself at home here. He recommends studying with Extended Education.
“It’s a remarkable achievement for me, graduating, and with good grades. My family is in Nigeria but my inlaws will attend with me.”
Baljot Kaur, Applied Human Resource Management
Baljot Kaur celebrates her graduation from Applied Human Resource Management.
Kaur earned a Bachelor of Business Administration and worked for a year as an HR consultant in India before coming here to study. Her family ran a business but she wanted to work in human resources.
Her cousin recommended the Extended Education program and had taken it previously. Her older brother also encouraged her to come to Winnipeg and to study HR at UM. He had come to Winnipeg earlier to do another certificate program.
“I am glad I am here and graduating from the University of Manitoba,” says Kaur. “It was a great experience. I got to know my instructors who helped me in a very good way. They teach in a manner that offers not just content but everything about what’s important for HR people and what happens in the world out there.”
In her HR studies, she appreciated learning about legislation, labour relations, HR planning, and interpersonal communication. “Every course is helping me.”
Completing her Industry Placement with Travel Manitoba, she learned about collective agreements, resumes, and how job descriptions are created. She also participated in the process of interviewing some candidates.
“Now I am actively looking for a full-time job, in an introductory HR position in a company in Winnipeg. I want to get started and get into a generalist position in the future.”
She highly recommends studying with Extended Education at the University of Manitoba. “The university environment is so different from my former college. There are so many activities and courses. And in Manitoba, there are definitely opportunities for new grads here.”