Why I Chose CityU: Testimonials

Velocity Contributor Genoa Sibold-Cohn recently interviewed three international alumni about their decision to choose City University of Seattle to pursue their graduate degrees. Read below to learn more about these alumni who all earned a Master of Business Administration - a popular degree among international students.

Name: Biljana Lowndes
Country of Origin: Bulgaria
Degree: MBA from CityU in Bulgaria online
Occupation: Managing Director at Interminds

Biljana Lowndes was looking for a convenient way to pursue her Master of Business Administration when she enrolled at CityU of Seattle.

None of the local universities offered MBA programs and Lowndes, then a finance manager, would have had to study at a university in the United Kingdom.

But CityU of Seattle and its online distance learning program allowed Lowndes to take classes and earn her degree right from home.

“In general, I think the biggest advantage opposed to local universities was that the professors in CityU have also profound practical experience, so when teaching they give a lot of real examples, not only the academic matters,” she says.

Lowndes earned her executive MBA from CityU in 2002 and started her own Sofia-based Web development services business called Interminds with a team of 11 employees. Interminds provides Web development services, including Web and graphic design, multimedia presentations, digital catalogs and custom software development.

She’s joined the thousands of international alumni who graduated from CityU campuses across the globe.

Name: David Austin Pesten
Country of Origin: Australia
Degree: MBA from CityU in Zurich, Switzerland
Occupation: General Manager of ABB Turbochargers in St. Petersburg, Russia

David Austin Pesten wanted to be a part of a globally recognized university and earn his MBA.

Luckily, CityU was right in his backyard.

He chose the site in Zurich, Switzerland, where he had been living for more than a decade, because of its convenience and English coursework.

He values CityU’s reputation, payment options, course structure and flexibility to complete coursework.

“A local university meant German course work which would have also been possible, but the structure of the offered program at the CU Zurich site was more convenient, meaning that it was possible to do it part-time, without affecting work time too much,” he says.

The university’s academic programs also meshed well with his career plans. While earning his degree, he switched positions at his company, which allowed him to take his current position as general manager of ABB Turbocharging in St. Petersburg, Russia. ABB Turbocharging is a global leader in turbocharging diesel and gas engines.

In 2002, he graduated with a MBA and a major in marketing.

Name: Steven Liu
Country of Origin: China
Degree: MBA from CityU in Beijing, China
Occupation: Training and Development Manager for Terex China

In the late nineties, China’s local universities were in their infancies. CityU of Seattle’s MBA program in Beijing already had its footing and that was appealing to Steven Liu, who was recommended to the MBA program.

Like Pesten, Liu wanted to get his MBA from a university with an established track record.

In 1999, Liu earned his degree and now serves as training and development manager for Terex China based in Beijing. Terex markets more than 50 brands, including equipment for the construction, infrastructure, quarrying, recycling, surface mining, shipping, transportation, refining, utility, and maintenance industries.

“I enjoy(ed) discussion and communication with both professors and my classmates,” Liu says. “…all (my) other classmates were from multinational companies or ran their own business. I’ve learned much from others.”