Mariam Kasradze: Vilnius university was a start for my academic and professional life

“I was looking for a specific Master’s degree program that would be interesting for me and I found International Business Management Master studies at the Kaunas Faculty. During the studies, I started going into the details of the main research topic that I am still working on now, and I find it quite exciting” – states Mariam Kasradze, a PhD student of the Kaunas Faculty. She came from Georgia and has been a member of Kaunas Faculty community for 3 years.

The goal to study abroad
After finishing my Bachelor’s studies, I set out a goal to continue studying abroad. I gave myself a year to prepare for the admission process and started looking for programmes to apply for. I received governmental scholarship funding for my Master’s degree studies and living expenses. And as a Georgian, I already knew what a great chance it would be for me to live in a country where everyone knows and loves my homeland, my culture and calls Georgia by its original name (In 2021, Lithuania approved “Sakartvelo” as the official name for Georgia).

Reasons for pursuing a doctoral degree and research field
My research field for my Master’s degree was Corporate Social Responsibility, and I enjoyed working on this topic a lot. It played an important role in paying my own contribution to sustainability issues. Moreover, the possibilities offered by the Kaunas Faculty were quite satisfying for me. I learn a lot every day and improve myself in doing research and the university helps me a lot in that.

Plans after PhD studies
I still have 3 years left until I finish my PhD studies and it is a bit hard to say what my plans will be. Generally, I would like to continue doing research and combine it with a job, similarly as I do now. Currently, I work for a company from the UK and the next step will be either to stay in Lithuania and continue working remotely or move closer to a local office. So far going back to Georgia for working is not in my plans, however, I visit my country at least twice per year.

Study benefits in a professional career
I work as a business development support executive, and I would say that being aware of management and leadership styles really helped me at the beginning of my work and gave me a good base for developing myself even more later on.

Impact of studying in Lithuania
The knowledge and skills I have gained during my studies here are crucial for my career goals. Also, I found a lot of opportunities to professionally develop myself and I am very grateful for that.
The Kaunas Faculty community
I took part in different events organized by ESN and met a lot of amazing people from all over the world.

Benefits of studying abroad
You come out of your comfort zone, go somewhere you’ve never been before, try to live where you’ve never lived before, meet new people, dive into a new culture and collect a lot of memories.

The most surprising experience in Lithuania
For the first time in my life, I got my own ice skates and skated on a frozen lake when the temperature outside was -20. I am not sure if it is that surprising, but it was an amazing and unforgettable feeling for me.

Cool and unexpected places in Lithuania
I love travelling and exploring new locations, as well as hearing rare stories about different places. I can say that I simply enjoyed all the cities and small places that I visited in Lithuania. However, I will never forget my emotions while visiting the Hill of Crosses and the atmosphere I experienced there.

Advice to another student
To concentrate on developing themselves and put a lot of initiative into finding different opportunities rather than wait for a teacher or university to give them to them.

16 May 2022