Tatyana: Becoming an advocate for sustainability

Tourism management student Tatyana put her knowledge of sustainability into practice as president of ARU's student-led Sustainability Society – and contributed to a host of University initiatives.

Being a Tourism Management student meant having the word 'sustainability' present daily. Being familiar with the concept was not an option, but a 'must know and apply' type of situation.

I was lucky enough to come across concepts like sustainable development, ethical consumption or environmental activism more times than I can count during my years at ARU.

In January 2021, an opportunity came in the form of a society role, and I decided to run for the position of President of the Sustainability Society. I can firmly say that this was one of the best decisions I have made during my journey at university.

During this time, I had the chance to become an active member of different sustainability committees and working groups as a student representative, and to work alongside other students and staff to deliver the current Sustainability Strategy. I had the chance to learn about risk assessment for sustainability and the important role that higher education institutions have in delivering Education for Sustainability (EfS).

In addition, during my time as the president I planned and organised the first ever ARU Sustainability Summit with the ambition of getting as many students and staff as possible involved in a three-day event with a wide range of topics and guest speakers. It was the many collaborations and conversations with different stakeholders that made me realise how crucial partnerships are to achieving social, economic and environmental change. Working around the UN Development Goals has changed my perceptions on businesses and corporations and ultimately made me realise what I want to do with my career: inspire and enable others to commit to a better planet and society.

I was able to put into practice what I was learning in class and become an active advocate for sustainability, confident in communicating a responsible message and engaging other like-minded students.

Reflecting on my experience, I recall the great memories and the people that I encountered during my journey and how fundamental they were for me to understand what path I want to follow not only professionally, but also as a responsible citizen with the desire to make our world a slightly better place to live in.

To those people who made me realise that once again: thank you!