It pays off to be the best! After she successfully passed the entrance exam and thus won a scholarship at ZSEM, Matija Matea Stojić won additional motivation to use every activity ZSEM has to offer. Although she had never thought of joining ZSEM’s economy until then, she had changed her attitude. Find out what can motivate a person to enter something they were not interested in before.
I: Hi Matthias! Can you tell what you have been doing since you graduated from college?
M: Hi! After graduating from Human Resources Management MBA at ZSEM and having previous work experience in human resources at FMCG company and employment agency, I got a job at UNICEF where I have been recruiting in the fundraising department for almost two years.
In addition, in my private time, I help develop a family-owned business, a health clinic for women. Another area of interest is digital marketing, so I try to learn as much as possible through courses and seminars.
I: It’s really inspiring that you still have the motivation to learn and progress. But how come you ever decided to enroll in ZSEM’s Economics program?
M: After high school I paused for a year and worked in the marketing department of a large company. Until then, I had not thought about economics, however I received several recommendations for ZSEM and decided to enroll in it. And I can say that this is one of the best decisions in my life.
I: Do you have any memories that made this decision one of the best?
M: My favorite memories are definitely the student exchange in Seoul, which I will never forget. Also a summer school in Portugal. Once in a lifetime memories + international friendships + travel = winning combination!
I: I believe that through these experiences you have acquired various skills and knowledge that you still use a lot today?
M: That’s right! I value most the friendships and acquaintances I have gained and the valuable business and life advice that our professors have given us. I honed communication skills, presentation skills, learned to use the most important resource-time more efficiently, and set priorities properly.
I: In the spirit of what I would recommend to current ZSEM students?
M: I would recommend a few things to current ZSEM students:
- Be happy and grateful to have the opportunity to study in college where groups are small, professors are excellent, and where you are not just a number. And don’t ignore the prejudices that unfortunately still exist for private colleges.
- Make the most of what the faculty has to offer: join additional groups, mentor foreign exchange students, etc.
- Be sure to go for an exchange! If you can go to more exchanges. Don’t miss it, because it’s a really unique opportunity.
- Forget about obstacles, just go away and have fun! Enjoy! This really is the most worrying time of your life.
I: Thanks for the helpful tips Matija! Do you follow any motto or advice in your life?
M: One of the principles of life that I live by is kaizen – continuous improvement. The ultimate dream is to accomplish my life purpose. I believe that at this moment I am exactly where I need to be, but I always expect more from myself and want to constantly evolve and work for myself, privately and in business. So I would say that I am on the path to achieving goals, desires, dreams, and one day, purpose.
I: Matija thank you so much for this inspiring talk! We are sure that you will inspire many more of our students in the future with your attitude and achievements!
Magdalena Busic
