An Australian Institute of Business (AIB) student has made history by earning the valedictorian award for a Bachelor of Business Administration and Master of Business Administration consecutively.
The AIB graduate, Kevin David, is a Senior Customer Relationship Advocate in Trinidad and Tobago’s largest and only full-service Telecom operator. Although he has over 20 years’ work experience, he embarked on his study journey to take his career to the next level.
Mr David initially chose AIB for its accelerated format of learning, which allows students to complete their degrees sooner, but said he was encouraged to pursue other avenues due to the support AIB shows for their students through the practical approach.
Graduating in December 2018, Mr David is the first AIB student to graduate as valedictorian for two separate degree. The valedictorian award is presented to the student with the highest overall grade point average in their graduating class, signifying academic excellence.
“Most of the AIB core modules have directly aligned with real-world examples specific to my career,” Mr David said.
“Strategic Management, Operations Management and Marketing Management were just a few of the classes that used case studies and assessments that were relevant to my field and built on my expertise.”
The double valedictorian completed the two degrees in just under 4 years, fitting the study commitment into his life by being creative with his time and his schedule.
“I capitalised on any free time by taking subject material with me every day – audio, visual and print,” Mr David said.
“I listened to audio files during peak hour traffic, I gave up TV and replaced it with YouTube videos on topics related to my subjects, and I negotiated with my employer to spread my vacation days throughout the year to use as study days.”
Australian Institute of Business CEO Paul Wappett said he couldn’t be prouder of Mr David’s achievements with the school.
“We are thrilled for Kevin and the remarkable results he has achieved in his BBA and MBA. It just goes to show that there is no limitation to academic excellence once someone finds their passion. We’re excited to watch what the future has in store for Kevin as he combines his education with his hands-on experience and undeniable drive to no doubt achieve great things,” he said. Mr David received an exceptional MBA GPA of 6.42 out of a maximum 7 points, which inspired him to pursue his PhD in Entrepreneurship & Commercial Studies in Trinidad and Tobago.
