On the 15th of October 2023, Moyosoreoluwa
Agbojo, popularly called MJ, a recent graduate
from the M.A. International Social Sciences
program at Friedensau Adventist University
and currently a research fellow at Friedensau
Institute for Evaluation, won the Deutscher
Akademischer Austauschdienst (DAAD) award
for her outstanding achievement as a foreign
student at the university’s graduation
ceremony. Here is an interview we had with her
to know how she was able to achieve this feat.

Hello MJ, tell us briefly about
your formative years before you
came to Germany.
I obtained my bachelor’s degree in Library and
Information Science from the University of Ilorin
in Nigeria. I began working as a librarian at a
law firm during the mandatory National Youth
Service year and later as an administrative and
accounts manager before I came to Germany.
How were you able to finish the
master’s degree in 2 years,
which, according to the school,
is an uncommon achievement in
recent times?
Coming to Friedensau, I was surprised to know
that there were people who had been here for
over four or five years in a course originally
planned for two years. I am the kind of person
who loves to challenge the abnormal status quo
or norm; I always ask questions wherever I find
myself. So, I decided to be different.

How did you hear about FIFE?
When I got to Germany, I had not started
classes when my husband mentioned the call
for a student assistant at FIFE to me. I didn’t
have access to campusnet yet, so a friend
advised me to apply through my husband’s
campusnet, and I did. I had my doubts at first
because of the qualifications required, but I
applied, and luckily, I was invited for an
interview, and I got the job. I have been
working there for two years now.

What about FIFE motivated you to
apply for the job?

When I read about what FIFE stands for: promoting
positive project and organisational impacts based on
scientific evidence and innovation, I was impressed. Their
objective of proper research and evaluation, as seen on
FIFE’s website opened my eyes to many often-
overlooked reasons why projects fail, which is a recurring
issue with major projects where I come from. I was
convinced that institutes like FIFE might just be the
the solution to lots of failed projects.

How has the job impacted you?

I have learnt a lot. Working with FIFE made me more
proactive. My confidence level and my ability
to think for myself have increased. Working with the director entails that
you are proactive and creative in your thinking. I have also
learned how to manage my time and work under pressure;
all our projects are time bound so we are obliged to work
efficiently.

Did your time at FIFE as a student
assistant and an intern influence your
choice for a career path?
Truly, I never saw myself working in this field of
project research and evaluation but working with FIFE
and seeing the impact we make on projects from our
consultants, and based on the reviews we get, made
me develop an interest for this field and feel a sense of
fulfilment. I see myself learning more and growing in
this field.
As a FIFE research fellow, what would
you tell someone embarking on a project
now?
I understand the tedious work that goes into executing a
project right from the inception stage. Know that every
step in implementing a project is as important as the
execution stage. We are here to help you with proper
research for your project, help you carry out detailed
monitoring and evaluation of your project that can help
you spot those loopholes in your project or those
strategies used in the course of your project that were
most beneficial to the project and can count as a strong
asset for similar future projects. We also know that
projects are unique to their goals and require new
strategies. FIFE is ready to help clients carry out
successful projects. No matter the stage you are in your
project, before, during or after project execution, contact
us today.