Case Study

“I chose to study at the University of Sunderland in London for my daughter. Not only so I could provide a better life for her through the job a degree would give me access to, but by setting an example in education. 

I want her to see a strong, independent mother. A woman who works and strives to learn and grow. The lesson I want to teach her is that, no matter how hard life can get, you always need to motivate yourself to go further. 

I came to the UK in 2015 having worked in several countries, but I’m originally from Romania. I wanted a better life and more opportunities.  

That’s what Britain represents for me, the chance to work hard knowing your reward is coming. 

The eventual aim was to open a business with my husband.  

I started out in the fast-food industry before moving into retail where I was quickly promoted to Store Manager.  

My work got me hands-on experience, but I needed deeper, academic knowledge as well if I was going to succeed. 

That’s when I decided to go for the BA (Hons) Business and Management (Integrated).  

It meant I would get a completely fresh start in the industry, learning all the concepts from the ground up. 

My daughter was four months old at the time. I’m not going to pretend it was easy, that wouldn’t be fair.  

It was, at times, extremely challenging. But like I said, the thing which kept me going was knowing that I was setting an example for my child. 

She’s four years old now and lived her whole life watching her mum strive for her dreams. I hope that inspires her. 

I chose the University of Sunderland in London specifically because I was really drawn to the course and, obviously, the location helped a lot. 

I really enjoyed studying for the Human Resources, Project Management and Marketing modules. They’re all key concepts in business, so I felt quite grounded learning about them. 

I also liked the opportunity to study additional courses like Digital Marketing and Project Management helped me take my studies even further. 

Over the last four years, something in me has changed. I’ve found the experience of studying so fulfilling that I genuinely don’t want to stop. 

I’ve started thinking about applying to do a master's and maybe even going into teaching business and management. 

It’s not what I expected when I first joined the University of Sunderland in London, but I’m so happy with where I’ve ended up.” 

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