Rolanda Ibrahimi is one of the two winners of the EMBA competition organized jointly by American University in Bulgaria (AUBG) and the national television channel Bulgaria on Air. Albanian-born Ibrahimi, who currently works in Sofia as a project manager at HP Software, won a EUR 6,000 scholarship that covers half of the tuition fee for the AUBG EMBA program in Sofia.
Rolanda Ibrahimi is one of the two winners of the EMBA competition organized jointly by American University in Bulgaria (AUBG) and the national television channel Bulgaria on Air. Ibrahimi, who comes from Albania and currently works in Sofia as a project manager at HP Software, won a EUR 6,000 scholarship that covers half of the tuition fee for the AUBG EMBA program in Sofia. Here is what she had to say about her decision to apply to the program and take part in the competition.
What motivated you to participate in the competition and to pursue an EMBA degree at AUBG in particular?
I applied to AUBG in June 2016, when the scholarship program was not available yet. The moment it was announced in October 2016, I had no doubts that I’ll try my chances, and I’ll choose my best story to compete. Having gained extensive knowledge in IT project management for nine years now, and [in] presales consulting for the last four years, I decided to pursue an EMBA [degree] aiming to become a better business strategist and a strong general manager. My key motivation to choose the AUBG EMBA [program] was the fact that it provides an excellent opportunity to interact with the future business leaders of Bulgaria. I have several close friends who already graduated from the EMBA [program] at AUBG during the last four-five years and – honestly – the decision to choose AUBG was not very difficult.
Please elaborate on your competition entry and tell us how it was a landmark experience.
The contest was widely announced on television and in social media and the scholarship [amount] provided was significant (50% of the total amount), so I was aware that the competition will be serious. Surely, I do not write success stories every day, so it was a challenge to write a good, inspiring story. But I made it and being an EMBA AUBG scholarship student now is a great success and a true privilege for me. I believe that what I wrote as a final statement in my essay applies perfectly to this achievement as well, “There are very few moments in one’s life where you realize that hard work has been rewarding and really made a difference. Such moments leave a trace in our personal and professional path forever and we tend to go back to them in difficult times to find our own inspiration. We learn best from our own experiences and this success story made me believe that any goal can be achieved with the right motivation and true dedication.”
What are your expectations from the EMBA program?
I expect to meet professionals from various fields, which will help me build a valuable and long-lasting network of leaders. I also expect to learn new concepts, share ideas and best practices that will improve my everyday job and will support me in achieving my future career goals.
What would you like to say to other professionals who are considering pursuing an EMBA degree?
I will start my EMBA in January 2017, so I’m sure I’ll have more to say when I graduate. As of now, I’m confident that an EMBA [degree] is an important investment for people that are looking to grow in their career. Just the fact that I will be starting soon the EMBA program is already making a difference in my current company.
