The first graduate of the international tourism programme
On the last day of June, the first student from the English undergraduate study programme in tourism successfully defended his thesis. Mr. Sona Shaji thus set a new milestone and became the first graduate of the Faculty of Tourism of the University of Maribor to successfully complete the international higher education professional program Tourism in English, which started three and a half years ago.
Sona Shaji defended his diploma thesis entitled POTENTIALS AND POSSIBILITIES FOR A HOLISTIC-GLAMPING SITE IN POMURSKA REGION OF SLOVENIA at the dislocated unit of the Faculty of Tourism in Ljubljana, on the Student Campus, where the study process is conducted in English. In front of the defense committee of Assist. Prof. Dr. Andreja Trdina, Assist. Prof. Dr. Tanja Lešnik Štuhec, and in the presence of supervisor Assist. Prof. Dr. Milica Rančič and assistant supervisor Mr. Tomi Špindler, Mr. Sona successfully defended his thesis and graduated with honors.
The Faculty of Tourism of the University of Maribor started the academic year in 2018/19 with the implementation of its tourism study programmes in English, and the graduate Sona Shaji, who otherwise comes from the Indian state of Kerala, was the student who first arrived in Slovenia and he is the one who was also the first to graduate of the first-generation students.
Sona always studied diligently and regularly fulfilled his study obligations, and he also managed to gain a lot of practical experience during his studies. He considers this to be one of the main advantages of studying tourism, as the practice is already included in the study process. He also says that the way the study is carried out enables students to find a good student job in the field of tourism, which opens up many opportunities for employment even before completing their studies. The faculty is friendly to students and adapts the schedule to their wishes and needs. He already has quite a few opportunities for regular work, but he decided that employment will wait a little longer, as he will also continue his studies in the Master's programme Tourism Destinations and Experiences. He will certainly be well prepared for it, as he says that the experienced experts at the faculty also taught him well in scientific writing and thinking.
The study programs in English and the support that the Faculty of Tourism offers to its international students are constantly developing and improving in the right direction, and, as Sona says, it offers a "perfect student life".
Sona, we are proud of you and we believe that this is only the beginning, because you have proven that with conscientious work and effort it is possible to succeed, even for students who come from other parts of the world.
