Some jobs come with a clear job description. Others come with emails that start with “Please help” and somehow end with three different departments getting involved.
For Chukwudi Amadiegwu, that is all part of the job. As a supervisor on the Success Team in Miva Open University’s Admissions and Learning Experience Department, he spends his days helping learners find answers, solve problems, and, occasionally, figure out what is going on with their portals.
But behind the tickets, calls, and problem-solving is a simple idea that guides his work: learners should never feel like they have to figure things out alone. We caught up with Chukwudi to talk about his journey with the uLesson Group, what happens behind the scenes in the Success Team, the colleague who keeps everyone laughing, and what he would call his team if they were the main characters in a TV show.
In This Post
From Graduate Trainee to Supervisor at Miva
Please tell us about yourself and what you do at the uLesson Group.
My name is Chukwudi. I am a supervisor with the Success Team in the Admissions and Learning Experience Department at Miva Open University. In very simple terms, my team is made up of professional problem solvers. What we do is we help learners navigate their journey from enrolment questions to those “I don’t know what’s happening on my portal” moments that students obviously will have.
My role is making sure we don’t just solve problems quickly but that we leave every learner feeling heard, supported, and confident that someone is in their corner. So every day is different, and that’s probably the favourite part of the job.
All right. I also want you to briefly add how you got into uLesson. I know a bit of the history, but you can just add. When did you join uLesson, and how did that happen?
I joined the uLesson Group in September 2023 as a graduate trainee. And since then, I have transitioned from uLesson directly to Miva, and I’ve taken several roles within the Admissions and Learning Experience Team.
Now, how has working in the uLesson Group shaped you professionally or personally?
Professionally, I would say it has taught me that great service isn’t just about having the right answers; it’s about how you deliver it. You can solve someone’s problem and still leave them frustrated if you do not communicate well.
Personally, it has made me a more patient person. When you interact with hundreds of learners daily, you realise everyone is carrying a different story. Sometimes what looks like frustration is actually anxiety, and that perspective has stayed with me, and I believe, to an extent, even beyond work.
So understanding the learner beyond what they are saying. Understanding what might be causing their reactions.
Yes, exactly.
That’s something important, especially for you as you deal with students, the immediate customers.
Exactly. Patience is really a virtue in our role.
The Bridge Between Learners and the University
What does your department actually do—you mentioned this, but you can deep dive a bit—and how does that connect to the bigger picture of what we do at uLesson and Miva?
What we do is that we make sure that learners never feel like they have to figure things out alone, whether it’s admissions, enrolments, technical issues, or simply needing guidance.
We’re often like a bridge between the learners and the rest of the university. Now, education is about more than delivering lectures. It’s about ensuring that students actually have access to these lectures or these assessments and knowing someone is available when they need help. That is where we come in.
I like what you said about your team being a bridge, because we have to always be in contact, not just pushing things out to students.
My team pushes out content, ads, and all of that, but we need to walk the journey with the students and not leave them alone. That’s very important and something unique that Miva does that not all institutions do.
Now, if your department disappeared for a day, what’s one chaos you think would break out?
If my department disappeared for a day, I don’t really think the silence would last long. I think it would even become more popular if it disappeared for a day.
But on a serious note, I think there would be a lot of unanswered questions. I think learners wouldn’t know who to talk to. Internal teams would suddenly have support requests landing on their desks, and somewhere, someone would definitely miss us.
So it’s going to be chaos, and we’re definitely going to be missed if we disappeared for a day. What we do is work quietly behind the scenes, but a lot of things run smoothly because we are constantly keeping the wheels turning in the Success Team and in the Admissions and Learning Experience Department at large.
Right, like the engine oil.
What’s something you wish more people understood about the kind of work your team does, whether it’s the students or other teams?
People sometimes think that student support is simply just replying to emails or calling learners. It’s actually a lot of investigation, collaboration, critical thinking, and empathy; the list goes on and on and on.
Sometimes one learner’s issue requires us to work with Academics, IT, Finance, or Logistics before it gets solved.
Just to cut it short, we don’t just answer questions by replying to emails or calling learners. What we do basically is that we connect dots. People need to understand that we connect dots in the university.
Okay. Who’s the funniest person on your team, and why would you pick that person?
It’s not really a popular opinion, but I would have to say Kemi.
Kemi has a very, very unique sense of humour, and a lot of it comes from her mannerisms. She can sometimes say something completely unexpected with the most serious expression, and seconds later, everybody’s laughing.
She’s just effortlessly funny and has a way of lifting everyone’s mood, especially during our busiest periods within the team.
I certainly think that every team needs someone like Kemi, to be honest. She’s a very, very funny girl.
Yeah, every team needs that humorous person.
What Makes It All Worthwhile
What keeps you inspired to do your best work?
What keeps me inspired to do my best work is knowing that what seems like a small task to us can completely change a learner’s day and career trajectory.
Sometimes resolving one issue means someone gets to write an exam, graduates on time, and continues pursuing a dream, and that’s why I think it’s something worth showing up every day for: the fact that we are changing lives with what we do.
Seeing the bigger picture of the impact that you’re making. That’s enough inspiration.
Then, on this note, is there a moment that made you think, “This is why I love my job”?
Certainly. I’ll definitely say this year’s convocation ceremony. Watching graduating learners walk across that stage was a very powerful reminder that every email that we answered, every issue we resolved, and every difficult conversation has contributed to that in some small way.
It’s a feeling that nobody can take away from us as a team. Now, it reminded me that behind every graduate, there is an entire team of people working quietly to help them succeed, and I’m very, very proud to be part of that, honestly.
Yes. The convocation was such a great milestone. From the chancellor to the teams, it was a very proud moment for everyone.
Ticket Impossible and a Little Gen Z Lesson
Now, if your team were a TV show—I don’t know if you’re into shows and movies, but if your team were a TV show, what would be the title?
I really watch a lot of movies. So, if my team were to be a TV show, I would title it Tickets Impossible.
Every episode of this TV show will start with what looks like a simple learner request, and somehow it turns into a cross-departmental venture.
By the time you’re done with one episode of this TV show, the issue gets resolved, the learner is happy, and we go to another episode. So, every day is an episode of Tickets Impossible here in the Success Team.
That’s a very nice title. Very nice.
Well, for this question, you may have an answer. What’s one Gen Z slang you know, and what does it mean? Something that stands out for you.
One Gen Z slang I know is “psych”.
“Psych” is a modern version of saying, “I’m just kidding, I was playing with you, I got you,” that kind of thing.
I think I use it a lot. I’ve been using it over the past couple of months. It’s something that I’ve managed to keep out of the office space.
So, I try as much as I possibly can not to make it part of my professional vocabulary. But “psych”, I use it a lot.
I’m familiar with the word, but I’m not sure I even knew the meaning. I’m learning.
What It Means to Be Part of Expanding Access to Education
When you think about the kind of impact uLesson and Miva have across Africa, how does that make you feel?
It makes me very proud, and I say it a lot of times because I think access to quality education has always been a challenge for many people across Nigeria and Africa at large.
And knowing that I presently work in an establishment where we’re helping remove some of these barriers to education is incredibly meaningful. Every learner we support represents someone investing in a better future, and it’s fulfilling to know that the work I do here, or the work we do, contributes to that journey.
Yes. And when a student or learner is reading this, what’s something you want them to know about the work done behind the scenes in your team, especially?
What I would want them to know is that there are real people behind every ticket, email, and phone call. So when they reach out to us… when you reach out to us, we’re not just closing tickets; we’re working with different teams, we’re investigating issues, and we’re doing everything we can to get every student on track.
We celebrate your wins too. Whether it’s getting enrolled, passing your exam, or graduating, those moments remind us of what we do.
So if you ever wonder whether someone will be rooting for you behind the scenes, we are definitely there.
That’s awesome. Do you have any last words you want to say either to the uLesson Group or your team?
To the uLesson Group, the only thing that I think I’d have to say at this point is, well done.
I believe we are going in the right direction with the leadership that we presently have. It’s an amazing feeling to be part of this experience, surely, and I wish us all the best of luck.
Thank you so much for your time and for your insightful answers.
In Conclusion
For Chukwudi Amadiegwu, there is always another ticket, another question, and another learner to help. Some days are busier than others, but the goal remains the same: make sure no learner feels like they have to figure things out alone.
And perhaps that is why Tickets Impossible felt like such a fitting TV show title. What starts as a simple request can quickly involve a few different teams, but by the end of the episode, there is hopefully an answer and a learner who can move forward.