My name is Svetlana Derkunskaia. I was born and grew up in Kyrgyzstan, but I’ve always known that there are extraordinary horizons of all that is beautiful beyond it. So, at the age of 17, I passed through exams and entered to the Omsk State Technical University in Russia for studying at the creative Department «Design and Technology of the Media industry».
Student life played with bright colors: I was engaged in social activities, went to numerous forums and conferences, wrote articles and enjoyed the acquisition of new knowledge in the field of web design. In addition to graduating with honors from the University, I also received additional education: «Translator in the field of professional communication». Yeah, I don’t know how I did it.
I had an internship in St. Petersburg after the end of the 2nd year. You get off the subway, and in front of you the amazing beauty of the city, meets you with coolness and light rain. Then I still couldn’t imagine that in 2 years I would become the winner of the portfolio competition and return to this city to continue my studies in the master’s degree in ITMO University.
But I’ve always wanted to understand the difference between the European system of education and our Russian system, to plunge into an environment different from my usual way of life. After all, this is an opportunity to understand the world around and itself better.
And I had a chance. When I saw the announcement for the academic mobility contest, I had a lot of doubts, but the dream won! I collected the documents and applied for participation in the competition for exchange mobility program. For the first stage it was necessary to fill in a form in which to specify 3 selected universities and training programs, write a motivation letter and attach a document confirming the level of English. After the application was submitted, I was invited to an interview, which was successful.
Of the proposed partner Universities for exchange for the summer semester, the most suitable training programs were in Finland and the Czech Republic. I chose the University of Tomasz Bati in Zlin, Czech Republic. I sent all the necessary documents for the reception, including the portfolio, and waited… The long-awaited invitation was soon received.
So Welcome to Europe and my life here!