Meet your 2025 valedictorians
Aboh Ekoja is graduating this June with a Master of Business Administration. He says his fellow students will remember him for his ability to form new friendships and his skill for finding common ground with everyone he meets.
Aboh doesn’t know what the future holds, but he hopes to support his wife Tolu, a master baker, in launching her start-up business.
As part of our series highlighting VIU’s 2025 valedictorians leading up to convocation on June 9 and 10, we caught up with Aboh to learn why he decided to attend VIU and what he loved about his experience. Aboh is the valedictorian for the June 9 morning ceremony
Why did you choose VIU?
I was first introduced to the idea of VIU by a close friend who enrolled in the MBA program before me. Their glowing recommendation sparked my interest and as I explored further, I was drawn to VIU’s global outlook, small class sizes and inclusive academic culture. Nanaimo, with its serene and picturesque setting, made the decision even easier. From the university’s hilltop campus, the ocean and mountain views became a soothing constant, offering both beauty and balance through the intensity of graduate study.
Can you share a highlight from your time at VIU?
My MBA internship at HSBC/RBC provided a huge opportunity for me to apply experience and classroom learning in real time at the workplace. I won much credit and compliments from my work supervisors, who eventually recommended me for a full-time position.
What are you most proud of achieving since you began your studies?
The confidence to go and do anything that I found intimidating before. The MBA program built me up in knowledge and character (even fortitude). Now I am so much more confident about facing new challenges.
What is one thing your fellow students may remember about you after graduation?
My ability to strike up new friendships! I never struggle to connect. I found there was always something we had in common when I met someone new.
What advice would you give students following a similar trajectory as yourself?
Be expectant. Make connections constantly. Don't be intimidated when you don’t see the full picture.
Can you give us three random facts about yourself?
- I am married to my college classmate. Tolu and I met in the same class all those years ago.
- I am the only left-handed one of 13 children.
- I moved across three MBA sections – morning, afternoon and evening – during my studies.
What’s next for you?
I don’t know for sure. Right now, I work at CIBC in Kelowna and I have ambitions to support my wife’s business start-up. She’s a master baker.
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