Having moved from KSA to the UAE, the University had just the right amount of opportunities for me to take advantage of. From the curriculum, the array of local speakers that came and shared their stories, extracurricular activities and events, my three year journey at Middlesex University Dubai was truly memorable and one that quite literally flew by too quickly. I quite enjoyed the practical aspects of our course, one of which involved our class creating a magazine was a personal favourite.

The Middlesex MBA offered me the opportunity to transform my career and differentiate myself within a large multinational business. I learnt to successfully translate external business trends into internal organisational decision and actions, which has since led to my appointment into regional and global roles.

Studying the MSc Corporate and Marketing Communications programme at Middlesex University Dubai helped me to understand how marketing works across different cultures and why customer psychology and consumer behaviour is such an important aspect of marketing. In my current role, communication is key. Working with influencers is a great job but requires the right marketing implementations as well as the right intercultural communication. The Careers and Employability Service at the University helped me a lot with checking my CV, providing me with insider tips about the job market in Dubai, and really motivated me to find the right job in Dubai for me.

It was a great journey of studying at Middlesex University Dubai. The MBA programme was elaborative, interesting, and practical to my work needs. Both the faculty and administrative staff were welcoming and helpful, and I gained so much more than I expected. Studying in Dubai was a great choice – it is an amazing city where wonders are created with dynamic moves. There are many things beyond your imagination, but finally you will find you are the reason these miracles are happening. Studying in this place enabled me to widen my horizon and reinforce my vigour. When I look back to the good old days in Dubai, I feel so thankful and miss the people and my friends so much.

I have a lot of great memories of my time at Middlesex University Dubai . The part which I most liked about those days was all the group activities and team work which was always encourage and harnessed throughout my time at the University. It was a great to be able to interact with and meet people who you may have never been able to meet before, and this gave a solid foundation to make life-long friends.

After deciding that media was my choice of career, I wanted to seek the best university in Dubai which would allow me to excel. With Dubai being a melting-pot of cultures, the University provided me with the opportunity to meet and study alongside people of many different nationalities, cultures and beliefs which in turn shaped my professional expertise and outlook. The professors and faculty were always open to ideas and provided undivided attention and support throughout the programme. Choosing Middlesex is one of the best decisions I have ever made. During my programme I had the opportunity to work on hands on projects with Arabian Radio Network as a voice over artist which has helped shape my experience as a media professional and taken me to where I am today.

Middlesex University Dubai is a unique, fun and lively campus where lifelong memories are formed. I decided to come back to University to study a Masters after graduating with an Undergraduate Degree 9 years earlier, and the decision has been a complete game changer. I was provided with constant guidance and encouragement from faculty and had access to excellent resources throughout my time at the University, and no matter what culture or background they were from, students were always treated with respect which I feel gave me the opportunity to fulfill my goals. The lecturers are not only friendly but also industry experienced so that I was able to learn from their relevant and current knowledge within my chosen field. It has been a truly great honour to be part of the Middlesex family.

I joined Middlesex University Dubai in 2011 as a young, energetic kid with lots of ambition and a drive to constantly learn. I knew that my camera and the media sector in particular were my calling, but the wings to support my dream were brought to fruition by the team and professors at Middlesex University Dubai. Within my first year, I was attending photo expeditions with the Student Photography Club and also became an official photographer for the University – covering annual events, sports competitions and the youth festival among others. Little did I know that this would come to shape my future…

As a student I was aware that photography, animation, comic art and writing were the things that gave me the most satisfaction – for me this was not work, it was fun and an outlet for my creativity. One of my dear friends who would accompany me on such exhibitions pushed me to send my work to National Geographic and I did – and never looked back! My work was met with critical acclaim and earned me the Hamdan Photography Award and the National Geographic Nature Photographer of 2012.

After graduating and working for various companies as a digital marketing executive, I decided to embark on my own journey, set up my own company and become my own boss. It is hard work, not only are you responsible for yourself, but the work of your employees. This only makes the experience even more rewarding – after all, the company is my baby! I can say with certainty that both my undergraduate and postgraduate study with Middlesex aided me in understanding the core of a viable business opportunity and how to trust your gut instinct. All this was shaped through years of hands on experience and learning from professors who encouraged us to find solutions to problems.

My digital marketing company, Yatra Digital Solutions, specialising in film, animation and production now has three studios in India and assignments across the globe, with new projects and a web animated series in the pipeline. Looking back, I can only say one thing – how can you ever know what will work and whether you will succeed if you don’t try? Understand that there is a chance to learn in every opportunity and that there is no success without failure.

I work with Jotun UAE Ltd LLC (Marine Department) as the Marine Analyst responsible for Vessel Hull Performance Monitoring and DryDock analysis for the Middle East, India and Africa region. I also support Seastock analysis and currently, I am the first hybrid Marine Analyst of the company trained internally to handle both SeaStock and DryDock analysis. I am also the first Marine Analyst to be employed locally with a regional responsibility and also the first Nigerian and one of the very few Africans to be employed in the company worldwide. As of November 2017, I had been with the company for only four months as the first newly graduated employee to handle Hull Performance Analysis in the history of the company.

The faculty of Computer Engineering and Informatics at Middlesex University Dubai prepared me fully for my professional career in Information Technology. In addition to the courses taught, the weekly lab sessions and the practical case studies, the department introduced extended tutorials covering updated data analytical technologies that were relevant to the new wave of Data Science and Big Data. This initiative was crucial because data analytics is currently in high demand in almost every sector of the economy and in every industry today. Before my graduation, Middlesex prepared me enough to compete with the experienced data analysts who applied to Jotun UAE for my current position. After various tests and interviews, I was the only analyst selected for employment and I began my role four months before I graduated.

I couldn’t be more grateful to Middlesex University Dubai and the professors for instilling in me the ethics of an IT professional, for providing knowledge and training in up to date tools and software, for providing the facilities and comfortable learning environment for effective studies, for tasking me with real life case studies and projects and for spending extra one-on-one mentoring sessions when I needed them the most.

Today, I am proudly one of the graduates of BSc Information Technology, deployed to a technology driven age to be effective, efficient, reliable, accountable, ethical and professional in my IT practice. This was my dream and now it is my reality. Today, I write my testimonial as an Alumnus, but I am already looking beyond now to the future when it would be one or all of my children writing their testimonial as Alumni of the same great institution that made a great Dad like me. Thank you Middlesex University Dubai.

I enroled in the MSc Project Management programme in 2012 and I distinctly remember the programme coordinator asking myself and my fellow students what our career goals were and how this programme would benefit us. By understanding the core definition of the Project Management programme, I envisaged success and the application of the skills we would gain into the corporate world. My time at Middlesex University Dubai enabled me to gain a wide range of skills including corporate social responsibilities, entrepreneurship, project management and risk analysis, which proved invaluable after I graduated.

As an Alumni of this noble institution, I feel honoured, blessed and grateful. Studying at the University has given me the adaptation skills to support my acting career, and the University still feels like my second home thanks to the staff, my lecturers and my peers.