【Interview】GHRM Student: Olga Sakhatskaya

One of our charming students Ms. Olga from Belarus is sharing her story with us today.

Olga’s first degree was in Economics and Hospitality Management (restaurants and hotels). Since childhood Olga liked dancing and handcraft as well as creating clothes. Like many teenagers after graduating from High School Olga wasn’t sure of what she wanted to do in future and her choice was determined by the ability in mathematics (Olga’s favorite subject in school) and passion for travelling.

“I guess most people would agree with me that the best job is the one, which is related to your hobbies. The first time I came to Taiwan was to work as a performer with my team. I have been working here a few years. As dancing career is very short, I decided that it’s time for me to grow as a specialist. I have a friend who have been doing PhD at NSYSU and encouraged me to apply for master program at NSYSU. And I’m very thankful to my friend. That very choice made a lot of changes in my life for good.” – explains Olga.

Olga is a very active student; besides her studies she takes part in Dragon Boat Competitions as a member of NSYSU Dragon Boat Team. Olga says it is one of the best experiences that she had during her stay in Taiwan, as it helped her to immerse in the local culture, as well as helped a lot to relax her mind during the studies and keep body in shape. Olga even took one more step and became a coach for NSYSU Dragon Boat Team. “Being a coach for one year taught me leadership and communication skills.” – says Olga.

Olga thinks studies at NSYSU have a lot of advantages: ability to cooperate with local businesses; immersion in the international environment, where you learn how to get along with people from different countries, backgrounds and etc.; allows to make friends from all over the world! “One of my favorite subjects was “Seminar in Business Management”. This course was led by real businessmen, who shared their knowledge and experience. It is also challenging us at the same time. Other courses not less joyful and useful in many areas, one of them were courses with Professor David McConville, who encourages students to speak out and think out of the box.” – concludes Olga.

When students first come to foreign country for studies or work, they all encounter some difficulties. For Olga at the beginning the biggest challenge was language: “I was not quite sure about my English language abilities. So I had to spend a lot of time reading and understanding the material in a foreign language. But all this have improved my level a lot. Next one was a time management as I had to work to support my study and life. But I had good friends around me, including staff at the GHRM English MBA Program office were always willing to help and support. Special huge thanks to Cindy and Natasha! I wouldn’t be here without them.”

For newcomers Olga’s advice would be: “Try to get as much as you can from this program, it’s worth it! Embrace every moment, work hard and enjoy your time being a student!”

Olga Sakhatskaya(middle)
Olga Sakhatskaya(right)