“I want to change the future, and a university that invests in youth and technology will suit me well.” Ambassador Ibrahim shares how a desire to protect people drew him to Cyber Security at Staffs
Name: Ibrahim
Home country: Nigeria
Uni: Staffordshire University
Course: MSc Computer Science (Cyber Security)
Likes: football and learning about new people
When we chatted to Ibrahim, he was about to start his dissertation and working towards a placement. He told us: “I’m on the London campus and I really like how cosmopolitan the city is. I’ve spoken to people whose countries I’ve never been to, but now I know loads about them.” We delved deeper into his experience at Staffordshire University…
It had to be cyber security, it had to be Staffs…
“I come from a mathematics background as that’s what I studied for my undergrad degree. There are a lot of links between maths and computing - did you know the first computer was made by a mathematician? I took a few computing courses while I was doing my undergrad degree, which opened my eyes up to what else I could do. I considered what’ll be important in the future and kept thinking about technology. The internet is getting bigger every day, but this brings challenges too. Each time we go online, we put out personal information which can be at risk of getting stolen. I want to make sure people are secure and protected - I’ve thought about the military in the past but wasn’t keen on the idea of going to war - so that’s how I landed on cyber security: a process of securing our valuable assets.
Once I knew this was the course for me, I did my research on various universities. I looked at online reviews and Staffs had consistently good reviews from a diverse range of students. Then I checked what the Uni does in terms of cyber/computing and the first thing I read was along the lines of “Staffordshire University is the University of the future”. I thought, yes, I want to change the future, and a university that’s prepared to invest in youth and technology will suit me well. Young people are the future and tech is faster than the speed of light. I checked that I met the criteria and applied!”
Accommodation stressful for students? Not at Staffs!
“I have some family in the UK but not in London, so I was on my own when I arrived. It can be really difficult for international students to get private accommodation as landlords ask for a lot of documents and a guarantor, but Staffs alleviated that. On their website, they share student accommodations that partner with them and are close to the uni. All I had to do was select which accommodation best suited my needs and budget. I applied and confirmed my student ID, then it was sorted before I even arrived in the UK! That really put my mind at rest.
I got accommodation that was within walking distance to the University, which really helped me out. I didn’t have to spend anything on transport for the first two to three months! Being so close also helped me academically in semester one and so far I’ve got really good grades.”
Memories of day one and a successful first semester…
“I remember it well. I always set goals and I knew what I wanted to achieve: I want to be one of the best cyber security analysts that ever walked this Earth. When I entered on day one, I saw my course leader, who’d interviewed me online, and he recognised me. He greeted me warmly and told me he was excited for me to learn with them. Then he told us that time flies, which I wrote in my diary as a reminder to keep focused. He gave us ten commandments for the course and said that, if we follow those, he’s confident we’ll succeed.
My first semester continued to go well. Since English is an official language in Nigeria, I didn’t struggle with communication as such. I did have to adapt to the accent though! The University offer English support programmes for the international students and all of the lecturers are there to help us. Being in London has given me the opportunities too. I’ve been to loads of conferences and even worked at the Birmingham olympic games over summer! I clicked so quickly when I saw that come up on the Uni page! I worked as a service desk analyst, which was great for getting an insight into the industry.”
Excelling as a student ambassador…
“I’d been an ambassador with Staffs before I got involved with CampusConnect. One experience that sticks with me is from a few months back when some agents were visiting with international students from all over the world. One of the Staffs team reached out to me as I’d done so well in other events and asked me if I’d prepare some slides and speak to the visitors. To my surprise, one of the agents sitting in front of me was the one who I’d come through when I was applying for my master’s!
A few weeks later I got the chance to become a CampusConnect ambassador too. We did an online training session which explained our role, the expectations, how to use the app and when to signpost students. I’ve been able to help loads of international students on there because I’ve been through the process and know how it works. What’s most important is that I know how it feels. I know it’s not easy, which is why I’m more than ready to help every other student.”
Ibrahim leaves us with some strong advice for potential students: “The most important thing you need is interest. You’ve got to know why you want to do the course and bring a growth mindset so that you can learn every day. You’ll have all the equipment, software and lecturers, you just need to embrace it.”
