A Business Graduate has told how a chance meeting during a fire drill at a hotel packed with stranded air travellers sent her on her way to a Masters degree at Edinburgh Napier.
Amita RajGuru, from Switzerland, was heading to Florida to continue her undergraduate studies in Tampa when heavy snow caused her to miss her connecting flight at London Gatwick.
However, she got chatting to George Stonehouse, Dean of the Business School, and Grant MacKerron, Head of the School of Management, during a fire drill at the hotel where weary passengers were being put up for the night in January 2014.
They outlined to her what we had to offer and were so convincing with their ‘sales pitch’ that Amita yesterday (Thursday 29 October) graduated with an MSc in International Business Management.
Amita, 22, who is based near Geneva, said: “When I told them about what I was studying at undergraduate level and what I wanted to do as a career, they outlined clear steps for me, with attending Edinburgh Napier being the keystone to it all. They aligned what I needed to so with what they had to offer.
“They left me with a notable challenge; graduate from our university.
“I’m not one to refuse a challenge. A visit to the city, the Craiglockhart campus specifically, helped reinforce my decision. One year later I matriculated and now I’ve graduated. Challenge completed.”
Amita was unable to come to the Usher Hall to receive her degree in person as she was busy at work in Switzerland and graduated in absentia.