Meet Doina Silistraru

Why Denmark and VIA?

I am passionate about creating things and the Branding and Marketing Management programme at Design, Technology and Business at VIA lets me enlarge my capacity for creation.
I chose to study in Denmark because it is one of the most developed countries, with very open people, amazing nature and high-quality studies. Everyone knows this country as having the happiest people, and since I am a positive and very smiley person, I thought that it would just be an advantage to come and explore more of the culture of Denmark. 
And I had a few friends that moved to Denmark, and everyone had only great things to say about this country, encouraging me, of course, to come as well.

What has been your greatest challenge and greatest experience?

The biggest challenge in moving to Denmark was getting used to a new life, alone, with new people and more or less entering adulthood. Many things like paying the rent, bills, cooking, and buying food were not part of my daily activities before I moved, so probably just getting used to being alone was a hard step that I had to pass. 
At the moment, the biggest experience that I had was being a tutor at VIA and taking part in welcoming new students, which helped me overcome social anxiety and open myself more to new opportunities.

What has surprised you the most about studying at VIA?

I was surprised by the amount of group work that we had to do. Coming from a country where group projects were not really a way of teaching, studying in Denmark taught me how to work with people and how to be able to differentiate roles and skills.

Did you take an internship?

I had an internship at InCosmetics Denmark, Silkeborg as SoMe Helper. It gave me the chance to learn more about the industry, get experience and put into practice the theoretical material that we learned in class. It also opened a job opportunity for me to work further in the field.

What are your ambitions for the future?

I want to finish my AP degree here at VIA and continue with the top-up to get a BA, and later on a Master’s degree. I want to work in a creative field, as I am a photographer, and I want to combine my passion with the knowledge from Branding and Marketing Management. I believe that I would like to stay in Denmark and grow slowly but steadily here.

My advice

My advice to someone who is considering studying/living/working in Denmark would be to be ready for a lot of rain!

Be patient, because in the beginning moving to a new country also comes with some challenges, but don’t give up, because Danish people are very encouraging. Start to learn the language as soon as you come, it will give you a big advantage in many situations, even if your work/study place doesn’t require Danish skills.