BEING ON DEAN'S LIST AT RIT CROATIA: HARD WORK PAYS OFF

By Sanja Čović

Dean's List is a superior academic achievement for all RIT Croatia students who obtain GPA 3.4 or higher and every semester, a special dinner is organized in order to celebrate this success. Having the Dean's List status is an indicator of hard work as a result of a long-term dedication and continuous learning, but also a motivation to continue pursuing that hard work.

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"Students' success is also our success", mentions Dr. Irena Guszak Cerovečki, the Associate Dean at RIT Croatia Zagreb Campus. "And this year there has been an increase of students to make the Dean's List- which I believe, innovation and creativity contributed to this", she adds. At RIT Croatia both students and academic staff are committed to success and that is what motivates and drives students to achieve their goals. They become more confident by seeing they have the support and that confidence is crucial in preparing them for the successful accomplishments of their goals. Our professors' aim is to get us to think from a different angle, because they encourage us to think critically, as well as to observe and evaluate things by ourselves- or in other words, to become more left-brained.

Our student Marko Sporiš, who can be proud of his continuous Dean's List status and has recently been honored to have the role of Career Education Day Volunteer Supervisor, claims he is a dedicated student, because he primarily has good abilities in terms of listening and avoids distractions during classes. He learns the majority of things through interacting in class, and he is grateful to be able to study on a smaller campus where there is not a big number of students. "In this way, we all get to speak up and share thoughts. We learn that there are many aspects and there is no such thing as right or wrong, as long as we can critically evaluate topics we are discussing. Moreover, professors are always there for us to clarify any uncertainties."

Our student Niko Katušić also shared his viewpoints regarding the Dean's List. He is a hardworking and committed individual, who along with having this status as a result of his excellent grades, also demonstrates thorough commitment to his college by being Vice President of RIT Croatia Student Government in Dubrovnik (which is in charge of organizing activities for students and improving the quality of the students' life), by being the Chair of the "Dinburger Charity Evening" (an event entirely organized and administered by our students), as well as Director of marketing of ETA Sigma Delta International Hospitality Management Society, which recognizes achievements of hospitality students. Niko claims that Dean's List meant a lot to him the first time he received it, because he felt like being a part of an acclaimed group of students. He says that RIT Croatia completely changed his mind set, due to its dynamic atmosphere. At high school, he used to be shy and reserved, but RIT Croatia helped him speak up because of different, individualized student approach, and he is thankful for all the encouragement he receives there. He thinks it is amazing to manage to be one of the top students, exactly because of his overwhelming schedule and loads of obligations. But how does he manage it? He says that it is important to always elaborate a plan and develop good organizational skills- then everything is possible. "And above all, you have to enjoy being an RIT Croatia student, and always tend to extract the best things out of any of the given opportunities here. By doing so, you will become a successful student and an independent individual, capable of facing new challenges."

Our IT students believe they have an incredible advantage because of the fact there are even less students enrolled in their program, so they all get to know each other and work in team successfully. "I always have the need to do things properly and that is why I work very hard. My primary goal is to do my best in every situation I face, and that led me to the Dean's List status", explains Mateo Lučić, one of our IT students.

Our Associate Dean at the Dubrovnik campus, Dr. Francis Brassard, mentions that students get their motivation by being exposed to real business environment, such as that through our Career Education Day, which is organized on an annual basis, and is a unique networking opportunity for RIT Croatia students in order to find potential employers and inform about new career opportunities and innovations on Croatian and global marketplace. He believes the interactions between students and employers are crucial for students' success.

Apart from the Dean's List, at RIT Croatia students with the highest GPA get to compete for Valedictorian status. During the introductory speech, our Dean announced the two students from Dubrovnik campus who have been honored the Valedictorian this year, Antonela Topić and Ana Marija Trojić. They will be invited to an additional dinner and will get to choose their favorite professor to join them in this celebration. Again, this outcome is an indicator that the main role of a high academic achievement is to reward students for their outstanding academic performance, but it is not just about admiring the accomplishments- it is, above all, a motivator to push forward and go beyond.