Stepan from Ukraine: "Be open, don’t be afraid to try something new and have fun!"

Stepan Orletskyi, a student at Chernivtsi National University from Ukraine, came to Bratislava for his internship as an EMEA SSG Marketing Intern.

Before he came to Slovakia for the internship, he had a familiar worry that many people share when joining a new company, about fitting in and expressing himself properly in a new environment:

“If I will fit into the company, manage to express myself properly and live in the new environment. But everything went well.”

Those concerns didn't last long, though. Stepan shared how lovely and supportive his colleagues turned out to be throughout his internship:

“Everyone is very lovely and supportive.”

Additionally, one common problem students have is gaining real, hands-on experience with professional marketing tools and communication. Internships are helpful in this situation, as they let students build this kind of practical expertise. Stepan shared the same experience here:

“I learnt a lot of new experience, such as boosting my communication skills, working in different applications, like AEM, HighSpot and others. I was supporting EMEA SSG marketing teams with content management, campaigns creation and their running, scrum master and other administrative functions.”

Outside of work, there is a wonderful opportunity to explore Slovakia and experience a new culture. For Stepan, the strong similarities between Slovak and Ukrainian culture made the transition smooth, while the country's nature and history left an impression:

“It feels pretty close to Ukrainian culture, so adapting was easy. But I enjoyed the nature of the country and its history, especially with all of the castles.”

At the same time, the most pleasant experience was meeting new people and building valuable connections and memories along the way.

"People. Having a chance to meet lots of new cool individuals, build connections with them and make lots of memories is so valuable. Also lots of activities with other interns, travelling around (Hamburg, Vienna etc.), gym and other activities "

So, for his plans, Stepan wants to finish his studies and potentially continue working at a big multinational.

As advice for interns, Stepan shared that newcomers should keep an open mind, dare to try new things, and just enjoy the time.

"Be open, don’t be afraid to try something new and have fun!"

We are glad to have had Stepan as an intern through our program and wish him success in his further plans.