Dr. Azeez Butali, Nigerian native and Gilbert Lily endowed professor of oral pathology, radiology, and medicine, and professor at the Iowa Institute for Oral Health in the UI College of Dentistry, delivered a keynote address during the 2023 International Student Graduation Celebration. Below are five tips he gave to graduating students to help them succeed in their future endeavors.  

"You are going into a world where you will need a toolkit that contains self-belief, recognition of failure, a never give-up attitude, self-gratification, mentoring, and mental well-being. This is not a complete list, but a starting point.” 

1. Show gratitude 

The journey to success is not a lonely one and there are no solo travelers. Somehow, some time ago, and somewhere, someone made a referral, gave you useful information, reviewed your candidate/personal statement, gave you a nudge, a shoulder to cry on, hope, access to a network, and much more. Someone also gave you reasons not to doubt your abilities, gave you reasons to smile, showed you love, got you candies, shared stories with you, access to their homes, organized Halloween parties, Thanksgiving potlucks, organized field trips, and much more. All this to make you move forward in life and to create wonderful memories. Today and tomorrow, and many more days ahead, are a great time to show gratitude. 

2. Push that door 

There will be many closed doors in real life and knocking will not be enough. Push that door. It might be open, but your knocks might not be heard. By pushing slightly with your head in the room, you will be seen and given a chance. I came to Iowa as a visiting scholar in 2008 and joined the faculty in 2013. Over the last 10 years, I have received several NIH grants and foundation grants, published about 100 articles, and presented about 200 abstracts at national and international conferences. I also trained six PhD students and currently have three PhD students in my lab. I got this far because I not only knocked but pushed the door a little. So, do not stop with just knocking; push that door a little. 

3. Build and keep relationships with mentors 

I stand here tall and confident because I stood on the shoulders of giants. I am a beneficiary of great mentorship. I encourage you to continue your relationships with your current mentors while seeking additional mentors in your place of work and in society. There are never enough mentors. You will come across challenges; personal or work related and there will be a need for someone who is more experienced to help you think through it. The success of the mentor-mentee relationship depends on the mentee. Mentors are very busy people, and they respond to you according to how you pull your weight. It is a pull and push relationship. I still meet with all my mentors until this day and will continue to meet with them.  

4. Dare to succeed and be intentional 

There will be many times when people will tell you it is not possible. They will make you feel like you are not good enough and give you so many reasons why. At every one of these moments, I encourage you to pause and praise yourself. You should be intentional about what you would like to achieve and dare to succeed. It will not come easy but making that effort and leaving your place of comfort might just be all you need. I was intentional about building my lab and career. Unfortunately, I was unsuccessful at recruiting graduate students in the first couple of years, but I was not discouraged and changed my strategy. I now find myself serving as a career mentor for many students globally. It has been a wonderful experience because I am intentional. 

5. Don’t be afraid to fail 

Failure is inevitable and often a learning moment. The initial feeling may be discouraging, but a review of the events and processes will enhance learning. Most of my grants took several attempts, but each failure was like a spring, and I kept going, and the results are self-evident. I encourage you to cross the road to the other side. What you all need is on the other side of fear. Fear is a trigger, and if properly harnessed, it can lead to tremendous successes.  

Watch Dr. Azeez Butali's keynote speech

Subtitles/closed captions are available in a variety of languages.

International Programs (IP) at the University of Iowa (UI) is committed to enriching the global experience of UI students, faculty, staff, and the general public by leading efforts to promote internationally oriented teaching, research, creative work, and community engagement.  IP provides support for international students and scholars, administers scholarships and assistance for students who study, intern, or do research abroad, and provides funding opportunities and grant-writing assistance for faculty engaged in international research. IP shares their stories through various media, and by hosting multiple public engagement activities each year.