FATSSSAITE MAKES FACULTY PROUD AS HE BECOMES A DON LAVOIE FELLOW: AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

By Tolu Ifedayo

 

FATSSSA PRESS: Good day. Can you introduce yourself?

ABDULRAHMAN: I am Adebayo Abdulrahman, a finalist of the Department of Political Science.

FATSSSA PRESS: How was the application process? the hurdles faced, and the aid(recommendations) received, if any, from whom?

ABDULRAHMAN: So the first question on how the application process was, I first heard about the Don Lavoie Fellowship in 2023, that's last year, and a connection on LinkedIn, who was an Indian undergrad then, a finalist, at the time who got into it.  

So I struck up a conversation with him on LinkedIn then, but back then, I did not apply that last year because when I looked at the requirements of the program and how competitive it was, and I looked at my profile at the time, I had the feeling that I was not going to get in, so I did not apply.

 Then this year when the application opened, I spoke with the guy, and the Indian, who is now going to study for his master's in the US, we then had a conversation again, and I looked at my profile this time around, and I thought, okay, it looks like this is something I can do now, because I mean, between 2023 and now, I'd taken up roles that makes me more suited for a fellowship in political economy at that level, I'd worked as a research assistant with the Presidential Fiscal Policy Committee, I'd written more research and policy briefs on foreign policy and political economy.

 Still on the first question,  part of the application requires [me] to submit a letter of recommendation. So, I consulted my lecturers in the department, Professor Aiyede, and Professor Adesina, and I'm very grateful to them for how it [was] stress-free and how easy they made it for me to. I mean, it was very seamless getting the recommendation.

 

FATSSSA PRESS: What would be your advice to anyone trying to apply for the same fellowship?

 

 ABDULRAHMAN: So my advice for anyone trying to apply for the same fellowship? Well, I don't think it's just about the Don Lavoie fellowship anyway. My advice for anyone generally is just that, when you see these things. 

Two things can happen. It's either you get in or you don't get in. If you apply, you may get in, but if you don't apply, you won't get in. So the conversation about whether you get in or not only comes up when you apply. 

So my advice is just that, if you see that you meet the minimum requirements, shoot your shots, put your first best foot forward, and look for the best. And it's also always advisable to try and reach out to people who have gotten into the program in the past. But in my instance, for example, I don't know anyone from UI recently. I checked the profile. I don't know anyone. 

It's probable, I mean, people from UI may have gotten into the programme, but I don't know anyone. So I had to reach out to someone, an Indian who got into the programme last year and would like give me one or two tips that help with my application.

 

FATSSSA PRESS: How would you describe all that led you to this point? Say resilience, hard work or diligence, for long have you been at it?

 

ABDULRAHMAN: Okay, [as regards], how I would describe all that led to this point? That's a tricky question, but I feel like number one, the most important thing really, is God's grace.

 I mean, I feel like in the end we are nothing but pencils in the hand of the creator, so he does with us what he wants. But yeah, number one for me is God's grace, and those that know me,  know I do not take that lightly. And yeah, then maybe, every other thing, which I feel can then be a combination of other things, resilience, hard work, diligence. 

I would like to reference Chimamanda's analysis of this issue,  where Chimamanda says that what you really need is a perfect combination of two things, self-doubt and self-belief. You can't afford to let either of them outshadow or way higher than the other. You need to have both of them in equal proportion. 

 You have to believe in yourself, your ability to get things done, and self-doubt in the sense that you can't afford to be complacent. I mean, self-doubt, to [avoid] complacency. You must always continue to question. You must always continue to question and put your effort to the test. Ask yourself, what can I do better?

 

FATSSSA PRESS: How did you feel after you got a positive response from the institute?.

 

ABDULRAHMAN: [How that felt?] Yeah, I felt very, very happy. And yeah, I was very, very happy because like, it's kind of a big deal for me. And I mean, the timing also was a thing because a couple of days before that, there was a program that I invested a lot of effort in and I thought I was going to get in. I did not get into that anyway and it's my fault. But the bottom line is that it was a few days after a rejection that hit so close. 

I feel like because I mean, I like to put my foot forward a lot. I'm not new to rejections, right but that one hit me so close because I really put my best foot forward for it, but I did not get in. But then, a few days after, I got into a fellowship and I'm like, oh my God, like, okay, this is way, way bigger than even the one I was sad about losing. 

This leads us to another thing, which is that you need to build competence, apply for as many stuff as possible because I mean, and getting rejected is a part of the process. I mean, I read somewhere once that sometimes you can measure the level of effort you put into things by the number of rejections you get.

 

FATSSSA PRESS: That marks the end of the interview, Thank you so much for your time.