Olamide “Lami” Olorunkosebi always had an idea of what he wanted to get out of an MBA program.
In his admissions essay to the Daniels College of Business, he laid it out clearly. His career in architecture was colliding with a more traditional business setting. He wanted the MBA program to catapult him into a role that would combine architecture, education, strategy and management.
Now, those words are coming to fruition. Graduation day is here, and Olorunkosebi’s dream has become a reality. Daniels was there at every step of that journey.
“I wrote that from my heart, and it was real,” he said in a recent interview. “Now I’m doing exactly what I said I wanted to be doing two years later.”
Olorunkosebi arrived at Daniels in 2024 as part of the full-time Denver MBA program. He was an international student, originally from Lagos, Nigeria, and a designer and planner for an architectural firm. A conversation with Luke Parrott, director of graduate admissions at Daniels, drew him to the University of Denver. Olorunkosebi wanted a program that mirrored his experience in architecture, rooted in real-world work.
“That’s what architecture is and that’s what this program is. You’re working with real firms when you’re in school.” he said.
Within two weeks of starting his MBA program, Olorunkosebi knew he had made the right decision. He was outside of the classroom, spending time at The Nature Place with his cohort. This signature Daniels MBA experience brings students to a mountainous retreat center where they build camaraderie and set the tone for the rest of their MBA experience.
It matches team-building activities with leadership challenges, all set on a high ropes course in Colorado’s picturesque mountains. It stuck with Olorunkosebi.
“It’s probably still one of the most pivotal parts I remember,” he said, adding that the DMBA was his third full-time degree program. “This was an entirely different experience to receive. We tested each other’s strengths, tested each other’s capabilities and did it as a group and not solo. That really helped take that cohort home.”
Olorunkosebi had to separate from his cohort after their first year, as a new job opportunity required him to continue as a part-time MBA student. But he maintained those connections, is still in the group chat and still has a bracelet made by the cohort at the Nature Place.
“Finding that community with my cohort and being intentional with them really helped get through the past two years that have been a really amazing and pivotal part of my career and personal life,” he said.
Olorunkosebi’s experience in the classroom was an alchemy of his academic, professional and personal life. He would bring elements from each into the space, helping balance his busy work schedule with his school expectations. They became intertwined.
“That was probably what made one of the most significant improvements to truly get the most out of the MBA,” he said. “That’s where that balance came from. There was a connection across personal, professional and academic because I made that intentional connection between the three of them. So, it just was very seamless.”
Olorunkosebi knows what it means to be busy. Last year, in only eight months, he took 47 flights for work. The ability to bring concepts from work into the classroom was crucial to his success, as it gave him further space to think through challenges.
He also credits his advisor, Joshua Robinson, with helping guide him through the program. He’s been an explorer of MBA offerings at Daniels, taking classes in three separate programs and mixing in with various cohorts.
Olorunkosebi was effusive in his praise for Robinson’s ability to help him navigate challenges in his schedule.
“He was very, very amazing in trying to help me find the balance, but also the strength to move on,” he said. “He wasn’t just a typical advisor that was checking off a list to make sure I graduated. It was truly checking with me to make sure the courses were in line with the requirements, but that I was doing things that made me happy, and they were in line with what I was looking for, for work, personal and professional reasons.”
Olorunkosebi’s concentration within his MBA was in executive leadership, an area that is a central part of his new role. He recently joined McMillan Pazdan Smith, an architecture, advisory services, planning and interior design firm based in the Southeastern U.S., where he is building out the education advisory practice spanning K-12 and higher education. It’s architecture, business and education, just like the blueprint he set out in that 2024 essay.
“I was recruited because of the blend of the MBA and the master’s in architecture degree in my background. I can speak as a subject matter expert in education and architecture, while also bringing the strategic and leadership lens that the MBA gave me,” he said.
As he prepares to depart Daniels, Olorunkosebi leaves with sage wisdom that is rooted in his own busy schedule. He advises students to understand the opportunity in front of them, make meaningful connections while on campus and take advantage of the moment.
“You really get as much as you put in,” he said. “If you’re going to take the time to get an MBA, you really, truly need to make the most of it.”