SBS Blog > Tough times: a doorway to our full potential by Zainab Zaki

Tough times: a doorway to our full potential

By Zainab Zaki - Posted on 17 June 2021

Despite Covid, student Zainab Zaki decided to complete her MSc in Digital Marketing Management this year - and says any challenging situation helps reveal your true potential.

I was 16 when I first visited Glasgow and Strathclyde campus where my uncle was a student. I was so awe-struck with the education delivering method that I decided there and then that I would do anything to study at this campus. After completing my Bachelor's in film & design followed by two years of experience in digital content creation, I decided to further study digital marketing and luckily I got accepted in Strathclyde on a 50% scholarship and am now doing my MSc in Digital Marketing Management at Strathclyde Business School.

Despite the Covid-19 situation around the world, I didn’t want to waste another year by putting off my studies - I was mentally prepared for doing a Master's so I decided to go for it.

Indeed this year has been very challenging and even though I was prepared, there were many unforeseen circumstances to contend with but everyone from the international support team to university staff has assisted me in every aspect of life, from supporting my mental health well-being to my academic queries.

I would like to mention my programme director Dr Graeme McLean who has supported me and my cohort in keeping in touch with each other and our weekly meetings have helped us in our dissertation project to a great extent. The university makes sure that they are continuously involved with the students even those who are across borders and taking the course online.

This is the first time such a situation - a global pandemic - has arisen in recent times, and the students but also the staff and university faculty have had to cope with it as well. It’s been hard but the business school and university have been actively finding new methods and improving their assets to support students. It’s funny but this year I believe I have made some special friends over Zoom and we can’t wait to hang and meet each other in real life!

I believe any challenging situation is a doorway to figuring out our true potential; it's about how we view any given situation in hard times and a positive mindset is all we need to get through.

Currently, I am not just a master's student who is studying online but I am the class representative, I’m involved in Unibuddy, and I’m a marketing department ambassador who is representing Strathclyde on various platforms. I am also part of the TedX Strathclyde Union as an Art Director.

I believe Strathclyde has helped me grow in various ways despite the circumstances of the world around us and I am grateful to the staff of the Business School and University!