International students with scholarships from Oppland County Authority

Girts Vitkovskis and Karlis Levitass from Valmiera in Latvia are exchange students at Lillehammer University College, and Blerta Lufaj from Kosovo is a master student at Gjøvik University College. These are three of the scholarship recipients who came to Oppland in the autumn of 2009 – Girts and Karlis for a one-year exchange, Blerta for a full master programme (two years).

Girts and Karlis are in their third year of a 4-year bachelor programme in business administration at Vidzemes University College in Valmiera. This institution was established in 1996 with support from Lillehammer University College. Snow business is one of the topics they are studying in Lillehammer in the spring semester 2010. In this course they learn about the development and management of winter resorts and ski destinations. They are very satisfied with the content of the course, which includes both theoretical instruction and field visits to the ski resorts in the county.

Blerta is a master student in information security at Gjøvik University College. She is particularly interested in biometrics (e.g. finger prints, face recognition). The courses are taught in English, and Blerta gets to be part of an international academic group with specialist competence within this field. During her studies in Gjøvik she gets access to better technology and more advanced equipment than she would have got at home in Kosovo. She might be interested in continuing to PhD studies in Gjøvik, but she also wants to go back to Kosovo and use her competence to contribute to the development of her home country.

The three students did not know much about Oppland before coming here. Girts and Karlis had heard of Lillehammer because of the Olympics and wanted to go to a place where they would find winter and snow. Since their home institution has an exchange agreement with Lillehammer University College and there was the possibility of getting funding through Oppland’s scholarship programme, the choice was easy! Blerta also got information about the study opportunities in Oppland through the cooperation agreement between University of Prishtina and Gjøvik and Lillehammer University Colleges. The scholarship from Oppland has been very helpful and has made it possible from them to get a lot more out of their stay. It has given them the chance to participate in activities, travel around and see more of what Oppland has to offer, and experience more!

Girts, Karlis and Blerta have taken part in the buddy programme for international students, and many activities are organized for them throughout the semester. Blerta has noticed that Norwegians can be somewhat reserved in the beginning, but once you get to know them, they are warm and friendly. She emphasizes that Norwegians are very nice and helpful. Girts and Karlis see a lot of benefits of staying for a full study year rather than just one semester. After one semester you begin to understand the system and know your way around, and in the second semester you really feel like a part of the local community. It is important that the students take on an active role. You cannot sit around and wait for the locals to come to you, you have to seek them out. The best way of being integrated is through a hobby. Girts is a dedicated frisbee player and has made contact with many Norwegians through this interest.

Oppland County Authority’s scholarships used to be awarded to students from Oppland who wanted to take a part of their studies abroad. The programme was changed in 2008, and now the target group is students from abroad who want to study at Lillehammer or Gjøvik University College (through the university college’s exchange agreements). Most of the 17 students who were awarded a scholarship in 2009-2010 are from Eastern Europe. Exchange students can be excellent ambassadors for our region. An exchange period can be a life changing experience, and the students will get a connection to Oppland that is lot stronger than if you visit for a shorter period. They are more likely to come back for work or holiday purposes. Girts participated at the launch of the new Lillehammer brand, and was very impressed. He and the others would be very interested in promoting Oppland and contributing to stronger relations between Norway and their home country.