Overcoming Challenges: Tofunmi Ayegbusi’s McMaster Journey

Four years ago, Tofunmi Ayegbusi touched down in Hamilton in the middle of January, leaving behind the warmth of Nigeria, for the frigid cold of Ontario, opening the door to endless possibilities.

Ayegbusi, who graduated with honours in Economics in June 2025, walked across the stage with a lengthy resume and newfound confidence.

Ayegbusi came to McMaster through our ECON I pathway, though not without considering whether she was better suited for a program in finance or business. Regardless of the path she chose, there was one thing she was certain of: she wanted to challenge herself.

And sure enough, McMaster delivered.

Overcoming challenges

For most people, adapting to a new climate, a new city and a new community would be a challenge enough. But for Ayegbusi, it was just an opportunity to grow.

Maybe her upbringing set her up for success. “You can’t afford to be average,” she said. But it was more than that. Ayegbusi was driven to achieve the life she wanted. While she had a sense of what form that life would take, she didn’t want to narrow her path too early. Keeping doors open felt just as important as moving forward.

Economics isn’t a single pathway. It’s a map to endless possibilities that can shape the world. Economics offered that challenge and what began as exploration soon became a clear direction, inviting her to think critically and engage with complex real-world issues.

Unlike some of the other programs she had looked at, economics wouldn’t confine her to one option. Diving into python and coding, Economics threw her into a whole new world she hadn’t even considered for herself.

Finding community

You might not know it when you meet her, but Ayegbusi would consider herself an introvert, but she wasn’t content with this. She knew that the path to success was paved outside of her dorm room and so she had to start fresh, to find community and friends here. McMaster gave her the space to grow, but the students took the initiative to join the clubs and make them what they are.

It wasn’t long before Ayegbusi found support through the Black Student Association (BSA), and the Women’s Network (TWN) McMaster, she found a place among friends. Alongside her passion for economics, her interest in finance came full circle when she took on the role of Finance Coordinator for the BSA. Along with the networking she did at art shows, professional development conferences and mixers, Ayegbusi didn’t stop when she left campus.

Through LinkedIn, Ayegbusi began to find other professionals with similar goals. The idea of cold calling scares the best of us, but not Ayegbusi, she began reaching out to professionals, to see if the path they took would be right for her.

There, she found Women in Capital Markets, now VersiFi, Canada’s largest network of women in Finance, building gender equity in the finance sector. From here she was able to access networking, mentorship creating a web of new connections to explore, building her confidence, and widening her goals. Once an introvert, she presents to the world as a vibrant woman, who is right where she needs to be.

In her four years, there wasn’t just one path that felt representative of her future, instead, there were many. She saw pieces of herself and her future in her peers, mentors, and advisors.

“It wasn’t easy. It took a lot of putting myself out there, being okay with being uncomfortable, to find my own people, in my own space,” she said. “This is where I have been living for almost four years, and I made a home for myself here.”

As we cross the stage

Looking forward, Ayegbusi is excited to step into something new, expanding her knowledge.

If  Ayegbusi could provide some insight for anyone beginning this chapter, she would tell you to challenge yourself. Use what McMaster has to offer, take the leaps, do the uncomfortable. Some advice for her fellow international students stepping into a new country, start the process early, and act quickly, but most importantly, this process doesn’t have to be one you do alone.

“You lose nothing for asking and accept the help,” she said. “It’s easy to feel alone in this process, but it’s important to remember that help is there, and you have everything to gain from accepting it.”

Without a doubt, she knew from the moment she set foot on the tarmac she would get where she needed to go. Growth lives in the moments we dare to try, when we challenge our fears, we have everything to gain.