Meet Marial Awuok: A Journey from Pinyudu to University Graduation

2026-03-22 - 09:44

Marial Mark Awuok Til graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) from the College of Management Science at Starford International University on March 21, 2026. He is among the 691 members of the class of 2025 who received degrees at the university campus in Juba. Born on July 16, 1978, in Yirol District, Lakes State, Marial is the firstborn of the late SPLA Veteran Colonel Mark Awuok Til Ajielkuei and Monica Lou Majok. In 1987, under the SPLM/SPLA movement policy to build a future generation for the liberation struggle, Marial’s father took him and his younger brother, Til Awuok Til Ajiekkuei, to the New Sudan Youth Centre in Pinyudu, Ethiopia. Marial began his primary education in Pinyudu in 1988 at School Number Three. He was part of Group Three under the leadership of teachers and caretakers including Manyuon Kuol, Majier Manyiel Malou, and R/SM Achiek Hassan Nyandiar. Following the displacement caused by the conflict, he moved to Kenya, where he completed his primary education at the Kakuma Refugee Camp between 1999 and 2002, earning his Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE). From 2003 to 2006, he attended Shiners Boys Senior Secondary School in Nakuru, Kenya, where he obtained his Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE). He later enrolled at Starford International University in Juba from 2022 to 2025 to complete his degree. Marial’s career in public service began as a State Aide-de-Camp (ADC) to former First Vice President Taban Deng Gai, from 2016 to 2018. In 2019, he was appointed State Minister of Information, Culture, Youth, and Sports for the defunct Eastern Lakes State-Yirol. He held this position until 2021, when the 32 states were dissolved and returned to 10 states and three administrative areas. From 2025 to the present, Marial has served as the Assistant Commissioner for Public Relations and Communications at the South Sudan Revenue Authority headquarters. He is married and has a family. His graduation in Juba marks the conclusion of an educational timeline that spanned four decades across three countries. Marial Mark Awuok Til wears a graduation gown after receiving a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) from the College of Management Science at Starford International University on Saturday, March 21, 2026. | Photo: Madrama James/Eye Radio