How I moved from Nigeria to the US with an MBA

Choosing the right MBA is difficult.

It’s even more difficult if you’re thinking of studying abroad. Without firsthand familiarity with the local education landscape, choosing a school thousands of miles away can feel uncertain at first.

But when Blessing Umoh first saw the University of Pittsburgh School of Business campus online, she felt an instant connection. She went on to move from Nigeria to pursue her MBA there, and the program’s integrated learning approach, core business teaching, and strong focus on networking helped launch her career in the US.

Speaking with GMAC, Blessing reflects on her move from Nigeria to the Full-Time Signature MBA/MIS program at the University of Pittsburgh’s Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business, and how the program supported her entry into the US job market.

As she prepared to move to the US for the first time, Blessing knew the transition would require adjustment. With seven years’ experience in fraud analysis and customer experience roles in Nigeria’s banking sector, she wanted an MBA that could complement her technical background with broader business and leadership skills from an international perspective.

Rather than focusing only on the biggest cities, she looked for a program that combined strong career preparation with an environment where she could build meaningful connections.

When she discovered the Pitt Business MBA, the curriculum and campus environment immediately stood out. After seeing images of the university online, she felt she had found the right fit.

“The Pittsburgh area looked like a real community,” she tells GMAC. “I knew it would be much easier to navigate work there than going to a big city like New York and getting lost in the midst of it all.”

It turned out to be a well-judged decision. Blessing quickly felt at home in Pittsburgh’s close-knit community, and over time the city became a home away from home.

“[The university] felt like a little family that you could always run to,” she explains. “They were there to listen and to help you and to navigate the parts you really needed.”

Building connections that support career success

Pittsburgh’s strong sense of community also shaped Blessing’s experience inside the classroom, where she found it easy to build relationships with classmates and faculty. The opportunity to make new professional connections was also a vital part of the Pitt Business MBA experience.

“Networking is one of the things that Katz is very good at,” says Blessing. “They gave us many opportunities to network. We always had networking events…they always gave us that channel to practice our networking skills, and to connect with people in business.”

These experiences gave her exposure to the US business environment while studying, helping her build confidence in situations she would later encounter in the workplace.

“Being an international student makes a difference, because you’re entering a room with people that have been here all their life, so they know how the system works. It can be tough, but the exposure to this during the MBA really helped me.”

Preparing for new career opportunities

Blessing found that the multi-faceted structure of the Pitt Business MBA curriculum helped her explore different career paths while developing a strong foundation across multiple business disciplines.

“One of the beauties of the MBA program is that you become truly well-rounded: in operations, strategy, consulting, finance,” she says. “It keeps you prepared. So when you walk into any of those rooms, it's like you have already prepared for those opportunities.”

She highlights courses such as Strategy and Organizational Behavior as particularly valuable in helping her understand how business decisions are made in practice and how teams operate within organizations.

At the same time, Blessing took an active approach to exploring career opportunities. As an international student entering a new job market, she arranged coffee chats, reached out to people on LinkedIn, and researched potential career paths across consulting, finance, technology, and operations.

With help from Pitt Business, she found a way to stay ahead in her job search.

“The advantage I had was the wonderful career services at the Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business,” she explains.

The careers team helped Blessing prepare for any job opportunities that came her way, offering her interview advice and application support. Meanwhile, initiatives such as the Executives in Residence program gave students access to experienced senior leaders for one-to-one career conversations, mentoring, and insight into industry expectations.

In the end, it was that combination of expert career advice and her own initiative that helped her secure a role in operations at Amazon.

“Nothing is going to be handed to you. You have to go out there, bring the opportunities, then look for people to help guide you to make those opportunities a success,” she advises future MBA students. “That made the difference for me.”