Hi there!

I am Adib Saifi, a second-year IBL student. I am originally from Afghanistan. However, I have been living in Finland for the past 11 years.

I am a natural born leader and I enjoy numbers hence studying as a BBA student provided me with all the necessary courses, academic knowledge, and tools to enhance my personality and consequently my love for numbers. I enjoy Economics, Accounting, Management and Finance classes the most.

Distance learning had been quite a challenge initially mainly due to the lack of motivation and direct assistance from lecturers despite the comfort of being able to join lectures from my warm bed in the morning. Regardless, I must admit that once I got used to it, it enabled me to learn several essential life skills such as time management, multitasking and overcoming new challenges. As with everything, distance learning comes with its advantages and disadvantages which have been managed quite effectively by the Metropolia staff and community thus the experience has been rewarding. 

While studying at Metropolia University of Applied Sciences, I have had the privilege to be a part of Laureaes as their treasurer for the year 2020 and a deputy board member for the current year. Additionally, I have had the opportunity to become the Team leader for the Hatch Incubator Program where I had been one of the winners the previous year. Hatch is an idea incubator program that has a demo day where all the participants pitch their business ideas. Due to the ongoing pandemic, this year it was held online. Despite finding out the need to hold the event online just a couple of days before the demo day, we were able to replant everything according to the needs and pull it off successfully without a tech team. This was a great source of inspiration for me which went on to prove that anything can be achieved with the right mindset.

Additionally, I was a student tutor for the freshers to essentially help them find their place in the institute.  This came with its unique challenges owing to the pandemic. Unlike the previous years, a large proportion of tutoring was conducted online. Regardless, this was an experience that allowed me to develop patience and flexibility while also improving my communication skills. Therefore, I can say that studying at BBA especially Metropolia has opened many doors and provided me with various opportunities for which I’m very grateful. 

Beside my majors this semester, I have started working on my thesis simultaneously and received an internship offer from Nordea Bank which will start towards the end of this semester. So far, the future looks bright and promising.

My 3 key tips for all the BBA students would be to understand that every rejection is a redirection, connections are useful so try to make as many as you can. Lastly, embrace change and try to search positivity in it which will pave the way for you to pursue global career opportunities in the business field.

Further information:

Find out more about Adib on Instagram!

Interview by Nhi Nguyen, IBL 18