Published on 30 November 2022
As Rose Umane steps on stage today at the Stadium of Light to collect her Masters degree in Business Administration (Marketing) with a distinction from the University of Sunderland, she is celebrating achieving all her career goals during the Winter Graduation ceremonies.
“I picked Sunderland to study because the city is calm, and I needed that escape from the busy large city of Lagos in Nigeria, where I grew up. The course also matched what I was looking for to further my career,” explained Rose, adding: “So, it’s fantastic to be graduating today.
“I’m proud of what I’ve achieved. Sunderland has the best lecturers, the best course mates and a very encouraging environment.”
Making the life-changing decision to leave her home country and a secure job as a digital marketing strategist has paid off for Rose after she accepted a role with Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, before she had even graduated.
Rose explained: “While studying, I started applying for jobs in Europe and a month into completing my program, I accepted a job offer from Meta. I moved to Dublin and currently work out of Meta EMEA headquarters as a Strategic Account Manager for the UK and Ireland Region.
“In the same month I began at Meta, I was approached by Google to work for their YouTube team. My job includes working with mid to large-size businesses in the UK and Ireland and helping them achieve their marketing and communications goals via Meta platforms.”
She added: “I am applying everything I learned at the University to my job, from insights gained from studying marketing, digital marketing, brand management, strategic communications, marketing technology and more.”
While studying, Rose made sure she also enhanced her employment skills by working 16-hours a week with Formica Europe in North Tyneside.
She says: “Combining both schooling and professional work came with its own challenges. But I really enjoyed the program. Some of the highlights for me were discussing my future plans with my course advisor Karen Wharton, having amazing conversations about my dissertation with my supervisor Kris Gooch. Travelling to fun places like Edinburgh, with Sunderland Students’ Union was also a bonus as well as interacting with fellow students.”
So, what is Rose’s advice for achieving future success to students in the early stages of their university journey?
“Have a very clear goal of what they would like to achieve,” she said. “Map out a plan, have it documented - written if possible, and work towards achieving these goals. It is important that for each plan created, they should seek as much information as they can and steadily work towards smashing each goal.”