Student Highlight: Oluwadarasimi Ajiboye

Oluwadarasimi Ajiboye

Oluwadarasimi (Dara) Ajiboye discovered his passion for product management early at Duke and has since built end-to-end PM experience through Product Lab, Code+, and coursework. Now a CFCI Fellow, Dara is excited to give back as a mentor and leader while continuing to grow as a product manager and educator within the Product Lab community.

Major / Academic Focus

Computer Science, Innovation and Entrepreneurship Certificate

Why do you like Product Management?

Product management is a career path where I feel you have the greatest control and influence over a project’s vision. As a PM, you guide and nurture a product through the entire development cycle, an end-to-end involvement you don’t find in most other roles. While other positions touch a project at different stages, a PM’s journey is from conception to launch. This level of influence and ownership, knowing the product’s success or failure is a direct result of your guidance, is highly motivating for me. Additionally, I am drawn to the deeply collaborative and social nature of the role, which involves constantly working with and for people.

 PM Journey at Duke + Summer Internship

I first took the Product Management 1 class my freshman fall, without a clear understanding of product management, but it became my second-ever course at Duke and profoundly shaped my university experience. After that great introduction, I made sure to maintain a product mindset. My summer experience at Code+ allowed me to work in a PM capacity, overseeing the full product development cycle with significant control over my project (S/O Gamifying Cybersecurity Awareness). Continuing this path, I took the Product Management 2 class in Fall 2025, building Stayable, and in the spring and moving forward, I will continue my product journey as a CFCI Fellow, contributing to and mentoring the Product Lab community.

Looking Ahead as a Fellow

Being given this opportunity to be a Fellow is something I am extremely excited and proud to be a part of. This community means so much to me, and as a sophomore in this position, I’m honored to join Fellows Jessie, Tatum, Andrew, and Nicole. Based on the product experience and product sense I’ve already built and continue to develop, I truly appreciate Anna Wilson for this opportunity. I can’t wait to pour into the Product Lab what has been poured into me, and not only grow as a student and a PM, but as a teacher and a mentor as well. I’m excited to help achieve great things with this program, and I believe Duke Product Lab has the potential to become the biggest and best program of its kind at any university.