Meet the first generation student on track to gain a double degree
Katarzyna Sawicka arrived in Salford as a first-generation university student to study BSc International Business Management. Read her story to discover how the opportunities at Salford have led her to be on track to graduate with a double degree.
Journey to Salford
I was raised by a single-parent family in Poland after my father sadly passed away when I was six years old. When I first finished school, I spent some time travelling and working, before deciding to explore university at 25 years old.
I was originally attracted to the University of Salford because of its location minutes from Manchester city centre. As I began researching more about the course at Salford, I became certain that it would enhance my employability and open more career opportunities.
Seizing every opportunity
My course has the opportunity to do a placement year at a university overseas so I decided to take the opportunity and complete a year at the Tampere University of Applied Sciences in Finland. It was such an incredible experience and it means when I graduate I will gain two degrees: one from Tampere University in Business Administration to accompany my BSc (Hons) International Business Management from the University of Salford.
During my time at Salford, I have also been able to take advantage of the university's strong links to industry. For example, I was able to secure an internship with Amazon during the summer break which helped me to put my learning into practice and build experience within the sector.
Overcoming challenges
During my course, I have balanced studying and working at the same time, which has been a juggle. However, this has helped me to build skills which I know will be useful in my future career.
When I moved to the UK, I had to leave my family back home in Poland which was a big change initially. However, the supportive community here at Salford made me feel so welcome and helped me to settle in.
Next steps
I am now in the final year of my undergraduate degree and looking towards what my next steps will be. I believe that my course at the University of Salford has truly bolstered my CV and given me the chance to pursue opportunities that I didn't even know were possible before arriving here.