Many college students find themselves contemplating life after graduation. There is a steady debate surrounding potential avenues. Should students pursue postgraduate degrees or enter into the workforce?
According to U.S. News, the average master’s of business administration (MBA) graduate makes roughly $25,000 more than the projected starting salary for the typical business student.
Peace Uwase, a 2002 graduate of Oklahoma Christian University’s MBA program, has put her degree to the test and currently serves as the director-general of the financial stability department of the National Bank of Rwanda.
Recent Oklahoma Christian graduate and financial adviser Chad Kennedy said both the numbers and Uwase’s story speak for themselves.
“If you really take a deep dive into the statistics, I think your decision is made for you,” Kennedy said. “People argue the increase in student debt is a serious deterrent, and I get that, but if you look at Uwase, success has stemmed from both her work ethic and educational background.”
Uwase, a chartered certified accountant—a designated status awarded and recognized by the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants based out of the United Kingdom—started her educational career at an all-girls secondary school in the Mukono district of Uganda. There she was able to complete her O-level and A-level studies from 1992-1998.
She was then accepted into Makerere University, located not far from her previous institution, graduating with a bachelor’s of commerce degree in 2001 before being admitted into the MBA program at Oklahoma Christian.
Kennedy went on to state Uwase has effectively utilized her degrees to consistently advance in her field of study.
“[Uwase] has committed herself to climb the corporate ladder,” Kennedy said. “She has been able to use her education, from OC and places prior, to make an impact in the business world.”
Returning to Uganda after completing her postgraduate education, Uwase found employment working as an audit associate for PricewaterhouseCoopers in Kampala. She then relocated to Rwanda in 2005 to take the title of head of finance and administration for the Bank of Commerce, Development & Industry (BCDI) which was bought out by Ecobank Rwanda.
After the acquisition of BCDI in July 2007, Uwase transitioned into the status of chief financial officer for her newly developed employer. She briefly worked at the Ecobank of Guinea Bissau, sharing the same title.
Uwase then converted herself into an independent consultant before she was hired by KivuWatt Limited, where she served as a finance manager. Quickly after this, Uwase returned to private consulting before accepting her current position in the Rwandan government.
Uwase has recently been working on administering a launch in digital currency in hopes of promoting financial stability.
In an interview with Yahoo News, Uwase stated there are struggles surrounding this potential monetary alteration and problems surrounding the collective institution of technology.
“There are still concerns about how exactly you convert the entire currency into digital form, how to distribute that and how fast can you process those transactions,” Uwase said. “Challenges come in. If technology is down how do you deal with such issues? We will join in once we are ready.”
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