Transcript of Graduation interview with Esineya Chilumbu

My name is Esineya Chilumbu and I studied a Master's in  Agricultural Technology and Innovation.

It's been overwhelming honestly, like first of all I had outfit crisis because I didn't know what to wear, what was appropriate. I come from Zambia where our culture is a little bit different and you know, formality seems to be a bit different, so I was anxious and then getting here and being in the auditorium and everybody there it brings a sort of pride and, you know, the sense of achievement like, I did this, I made it, I'm here, so it's it's  now really an exciting feeling from anxiety to to just excitement now.

What I love the most about the RAU is honestly the diversity so you get to learn a lot about different cultures, different people, and what they practice in terms of agriculture, business, economics in the different countries, but also our teaching faculty is very knowledgeable about what they do and yeah, it's just a beautiful place, it's in the countryside, it's fresh, it's quiet and it's a small community so it feels like home.

So I'm running a startup agritech logistics solution. What we're doing primarily is creating access to markets for farmers and in that vein  we're trying to strengthen the supply system of agricultural produce in Zambia, so from production  to table, and the RAU played a major role because previously I was in information technology, so  I worked as a systems administrator and manager and then coming to the RAU was a little bit of  a diversion from information and communication technology into more agricultural practices and  what agriculture is about, so the RAU was strong 

in strengthening my agricultural knowledge and the  knowledge of agricultural practices, but also they run an Enterprise Programme through Farm491 which I  was a part of, and there was a competition that happened in May of 2023 that I took part in, and this was, I can't remember what it was called, but it was like the great idea, Grand Idea, yes, it  was called the Grand Idea, yes, so I participated in this programme and I came third. So we had a winner, second, and I was third and everybody, all the panel of judges and everybody was like, your  idea is viable, you need to really look into it, like develop it a bit further, and then thereafter  I met somebody here, one of my coursemates, who introduced me to her husband who's into major  business investments in Africa and I attended an investment conference thereafter, which then led to me meeting several people who helped me develop my business acumen further. So I think the  RAU has played a huge part in in what I'm doing today and how I am doing it, because one, they have the Enterprise Programme, and two, I met a fellow student here who helped me get onto a platform where I could meet investors.

What I would say to the new students joining now is first of all they should be open-minded, they should come here with just an open mind, like be open to the people you meet, be open to the subjects you're being taught. Obviously you have an underlying vision that's brought you here, but be able to pivot because sometimes your vision is not where you're meant to go and when you learn new things and meet new people your perspectives change a little bit, so I think my greatest advice is the RAU is fun, there's lots of fun things happening, I won't get into it now,  but there's lots of fun there's lots of learning and also it's an adventure I mean you come here from, I came from Africa and didn't live in the UK before so it was a real adventure for me  you know, go places, see places, meet people get, you know, network, get to know people get to know their  perspectives and just be open to new possibilities.