Ricky Alogo

Implementation Manager at Step Up Financial Group and Business Owner of Espouse Ltd. – that helps companies improve their brand visibility by providing promotional material and brand merchandise.

At the time when Ricky was considering embarking on his own MBA journey, he had just moved to Australia from Kenya, and upon arrival he realised that to continue working in his field of marketing in which he had worked in for over 10 years, he would need Australian credentials.

After much research of MBA providers, Ricky chose to study with AIB as at the time he was moving from Kenya and needed the flexibility and online study capabilities, as well as an affordable institution that offered a variety of modules that were of interest. In 2021, Ricky graduated his MBA with a Marketing Specialisation and at his graduation day, we took the opportunity to ask him more about his experience at AIB.

Did you have any fears before starting?

I had a lot of fears before I started my MBA, because first of all, I was moving to a new country and then secondly, English is not my first language. And as you know, Aussies, they don’t speak English – they speak Aussie. So, me walking into class, I was like, ‘will I even understand them?’

And then the other thing I thought ‘will I find the time?’ Because I was working in between jobs. And then finally – the cost. I was changing Kenya Shillings to the Australian Dollar and each time my money was reducing. But once I finished my MBA, I realised it was worth it. It was worth the shillings changed into dollars. And I’m glad I did it.

Do you attribute any successes to your MBA?

Yes, because most of the case studies we are doing it was based on the company we run. So, for whatever we were studying in class, I used to go and implement it. And then now that I’m in Australia, I work for a finance company, Step Up Financial Group, as an Implementation Manager. And that is all because of my MBA.

What is your advice to others?

Just start, just go and do it. Don’t even think about like, will you get the time just that we have a Swahili saying that translates to ‘someone who keeps throwing a fishnet into the into the river will never eat rice without stew’. So just go and study. Don’t worry about anything, it will be worth it.

How does it feel to graduate?

Beautiful. It feels beautiful, feels like on top of the world. It gives you a sense of achievement. I just want to thank everyone who helped me get through it.

Explore more AIB student stories.