Nina Dzukaeva

Nina Dzukaeva

Prior education: Bachelor of Asian and African Studies, Higher School of Economics

Professional areas of interest: Start-Up Strategies, Brand Management

Languages proficient in: Russian, Ossetian, English, Arabic

Most memorable trip: Lebanon 2012, first exposure to the Middle Eastern culture

Someone you admire: Lee Kuan Yew 

Nina, could you share with us what were the primary motives to enroll in the Master of International Business program at the Higher School of Economics?

I was looking for a graduate business program, which would provide the right balance of theory and practice and focus on core business courses from an international perspective. MIB program at HSE positions itself exactly this way, so it seemed to be a perfect match for me. Another critical advantage was the opportunity to study abroad. Students at MIB have a wide range of universities to apply to, and my primary choice was the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, which I’m currently studying at.

Nina, almost a year of studies at HSE MIB is over. How do you find this experience so far?

Both challenging and rewarding! We are constantly involved in exciting individual and group projects, and work hard to apply the concepts and frameworks we’ve learnt in case studies and real life business problems. Such a great amount of practical work helps to identify the gaps in both hard and soft skills – having worked with different teams, I’ve not only enhanced my knowledge of key topics, but have also significantly improved communication and task delegation skills.

Nina, can you share with us some of the most exciting or challenging moments? When do you learn the most as an MIB student?

I was truly surprised by the diversity of my classmates’ backgrounds and their life and working experience. For sure, a large part of learning comes from interaction, team work and just having fun with these amazing people. As for the challenging moments, quite a decent amount of quantitative work feels overwhelming sometimes, but definitely boosts thinking and analytical skills.