·       Yulia Sharipova and her parents left Russia for USA when she was five

·       Came alone to Singapore at age 18 to study at SMU School of Economics

·       Currently pursuing her Masters of IT in Business (Financial Services Track) at the School of Information Systems

It was her affection for the Lion City that brought Yulia Sharipova to the shores of Singapore in 2010.

Though her journey to the city state does not have the same measure of suspense and intrigue as the 1963 James Bond blockbuster ‘From Russia With Love’, it still required Yulia to call on her guts and gumption to travel alone to a foreign country at the age of 18 to begin her undergraduate studies at SMU School of Economics.

Born in Moscow, Yulia and her parents moved to USA when she was five. She is now a US citizen.

Before finishing high school, Yulia already knew where her future lies – in Asia.

Singapore, with its cosmopolitan society, vibrant economy and political stability, was the ideal place for Yulia to build her dream. “I wanted to take a different path, do something that’s different from most of my peers who will go into an American college and then enter the job market. I chose Singapore because I wanted to gain exposure to Asia and study in a country whose economy is growing. I felt that the experience gained would boost my knowledge and help me tremendously in my career.  

“When I raised the subject of moving to Singapore, my parents were very supportive and happy for me. It helped that my father is a huge fan of Singapore.”

Although Yulia did not have any family or friends in Singapore, it didn’t take her long to adapt to the local culture. “Singapore is culturally not very difficult to adjust to. I am the type of person who likes to live in multicultural places. Previously I was living in Hawaii, where the population is very diverse as well. I like the city state because it is so international and you are able to get a taste of lots of different cultures. The lack of a language barrier helps a lot with the transition. However, it did take me a little while to understand Singlish!”

On why she chose to study at SMU, Yulia shared “SMU has the perfect combination of academic rigour and industry practice. I was attracted to SMU due to its strong emphasis on industry partnerships, career development, internship opportunities and management focus.”

However, when she first started at SMU, it still took some getting used to. “My first impression was that this place was so competitive! The university education in Singapore is very different from the USA, so I had to hit the ground running.”

Besides studies, Yulia was a member of the SMU Dragon Boat team, and Vice President of SMU ICON, a student organisation which organises activities and programmes to encourage cross-cultural learning and understanding. “I was really impressed with SMU's huge variety of CCAs. I was able to try out some different clubs and attended many events organised by them.”

Yulia was an intern at HSBC Insurance in 2011 where she learned about different financial products and how these products could benefit consumers. In 2012 she embarked on another internship with Moody’s Investors Service, where she worked with analysts to support credit rating research. In 2013, she performed her community service at a mental health clinic in her hometown in Hawaii.

After obtaining her Bachelor of Science (Economics) degree in 2014, Yulia continued her studies at SMU by taking up the Masters of IT in Business (Financial Services Track) at the School of Information Systems. “This is a very unique programme which I couldn’t find anywhere else in the world. By combining business with technology into one programme, it offers students like me an unparalleled edge with knowledge in process management, operations, technology solutions and innovation strategies for the rapidly growing financial services sector in Singapore and the region,” said Yulia.

[Photo: Yulia shared her experiences at SMU with the Tatarstan delegation in January 2015.]

[Photo: SMU Provost and Deputy President (Academic Affairs) Professor Rajendra K Srivastava (centre) and the Tatarstan Deputy Prime Minister & Minister of Education and Science Dr Engel Fattakhov (9th from left) with members of the Tatarstan delegation and representatives of SMU. Yulia is standing second from right.]

Yulia shared her holistic and enriching educational journey at SMU with a delegation of some 20 top educators led by Deputy Prime Minister & Minister of Education and Science Dr Engel Fattakhov from the Republic of Tatarstan in the Russian Federation when they visited SMU on 13 January 2015. Her inspiring account drew a warm round of applause, questions from the Deputy Prime Minister, and the comment from Professor Srivastava that the best advertisement for SMU is its own graduates.

On her advice for foreign students coming to study at SMU, Yulia said “Start early – whether it is studying, participating in CCAs, networking, and all other aspects of your student and professional life. Take full advantage of the amazing opportunities SMU provides and work hard from the start. If you are in Singapore to live and work, take advantage of the fact that Singapore is a huge international hub while being small and easy to navigate. There are always networking sessions and conferences to attend, so make time to attend these events.”