Higher levels of happiness, higher results

26 май, 2024

Suzan Tuemen is 25 years old, born and raised in Germany and is half Bulgarian. She took the high school and undergraduate school in Germany and France (Paris). Suzan has Bachelor of Arts – BA in International Business Management. She speaks 7 different languages including Chinese, and is currently living in the beautiful capital of Bulgaria, Sofia.

Suzan gained experience in Strategic HR Project Management (at Roche in Germany), Social Media & E-Commerce (at Maryan Beachwear Group in Germany), SEO Copywriting (at Sky Prime in Bulgaria) and in HR Recruiting & Project Management (at Enactus Furtwangen in Germany).

– Why did you choose to study in Bulgaria?

Having grown up in a highly multicultural environment, I always felt most comfortable being surrounded with people from all over the world, had a big interest in learning different languages from an early age on and, ever since, enjoyed exploring the world.

These were the main reasons why I decided already at the age of 18, to go for a work and travel in Australia/Bali, followed by the decision to start a very extraordinary bachelor’s program in an international, English-taught university in Germany, which included not only the commitment to learning the Chinese language and culture but also to conducting a mandatory semester and internship abroad. Given the extraordinary elements of my undergraduate study program, I was directly upon completion of my studies given the chance by one of the biggest Swiss healthcare companies, Roche, to work in the area of Strategic HR Project Management. After a period of time at Roche, however, I realized that I am not yet ready to settle for an ordinary working life but, instead, wish to follow my dreams: completing a postgraduate degree in a still non-mainstream country, abroad.  My decision then to choosing a university in Bulgaria was based upon three points:

First of all, Bulgaria – as a country to study in – caught my attention thanks to one of its prestigious universities, UNWE, located in Sofia. Its extraordinary, international postgraduate program offer seemed to be a perfect fit to me from moment one.

Second, studying in Bulgaria means additional foreign experience for me which, of course, will be very much appreciated by my future employers. Choosing Bulgaria as a country to do one’s studies can be an additional opportunity nowadays to stand out from the crowd.

Third, I always dreamed of spending a longer period of time in my mother’s country, Bulgaria. I was always excited to ‘going back to my roots’ and exploring the rich culture and nature of the country.

With the decision to study in Bulgaria, I therefore made my dreams come true!

– Why did you choose the master’s program „International Business“ at UNWE?

The “International Business“ postgraduate program at UNWE first and foremost caught my attention through its extraordinary, international offer: Students within this program are receiving the opportunity to attending English-taught lectures, selecting courses from a wide selection of subjects within the field of international business (from Marketing, Finance and Innovation Management to Economics and more), being part of an international setting (students from all over the world are gathering in one class), and choosing between the original program (includes two semesters at UNWE in Sofia) and the Dual Program (two semesters at UNWE in Sofia + two additional semesters in either Shanghai, China, or Rome, Italy).

The combination of all these exclusive elements within the “International Business“ study program have convinced me to apply for this specific master’s program at UNWE.

– How did the master’s program „International Business” upgrade your knowledge and skills from your bachelor’s degree?

Since my bachelor’s and master’s degree program (Ba: International Business Management; Ma: International Business) have been quite identical, I haven’t come across completely new or unexpected materials during my two semesters at UNWE. However, we have been revising a wide range of business topics at UNWE which highly consolidated my knowledge from my bachelor’s. In addition, since the program not only includes exams at the end of each semester but also very interesting assignments, presentations, and discussions along the way, I had the great opportunity to further extend my general (business) knowledge which I am very thankful for.

– What was the most interesting part of studying „International Business“?

There isn’t a particular thing that I could name as the most interesting aspect of the “International Business“ degree program – it was rather the combination of many interesting things that made the whole journey so memorable. Some of the things I found most interesting within the International Business program and highly appreciated at UNWE were: very small classes (+/-20 students), lectures conducted in small rooms, books preliminary source for exam preparation, Messenger (Facebook) communication tool number one (also used to communicate with professors), very close student-professor-relationships (professors are very friendly, attentive, open-minded, respectful and have an understanding & “no stress“ attitude; there wasn’t a single unpleasant professor!!) and very close relationships with fellow students (monthly gatherings).

Apart from that, I should underline the extremely well-organized Erasmus Student Network (ESN) at UNWE which organizes super exciting daily programs for both internationals & Bulgarians and, additionally, gives people several chances to exploring neighbouring cities and countries (the best ESN I have experienced so far!!). 

– What was the most valuable thing you learned and will always remember?

Having grown up and completed most of my studies in Germany, I’ve been more or less conditioned to always putting work and school/university above everything, including myself. The Bulgarian mentality as well as my postgraduate “International Business“ studies – although a demanding program – have taught me that putting one’s own health and wellbeing above responsibilities and tasks is not necessarily a bad thing nor a weakness, quite the opposite. Most of the times if not always, this attitude results in higher levels of happiness while simultaneously achieving higher results.