I am currently a student at Mendel University in Brno, where I study economics and management and am actively involved and working in the world of finance and real estate. But it certainly didn't start here. I would say that my journey began to take shape when I was about 17-18 years old, when I was still attending high school here in Brno. I remember one summer my still good friend Tom told me: "In a month I'm flying to America to study." Honestly - I didn't understand it at all. It was a shock, because at that time the world still seemed huge to me. A few weeks later Tom really flew away and I said to myself that I would like to experience something similar. During the third grade, my parents and I started talking about whether it would be possible to go abroad in my case too. Czech school didn't really fulfill me, so when my mother came up with an offer to study in Canada a few months later, I didn't hesitate for a second. Six months later, I finished my third year and flew away – without perfect English, without experience and with zero idea of what awaited me.
Canada
I spent a little over a year in Canada and managed to graduate there. I still have friends there and all over the world. I didn’t quite get the start and immediately after arriving I was detained at the Toronto airport for not having a study permit. I spent several hours explaining why I was in the country. My English wasn’t ideal, but after a few hours they let me go and I went to meet my new host family from Jamaica. The first few days were simply a culture shock – everything was new, a different culture, a different language, a completely different rhythm of life. But I was lucky to have a host family from Jamaica who showed me not only Toronto and Niagara Falls, but also the Canadian mentality – open, positive and motivating. I still thank them very much for this warm welcome. In Canada, I realized for the first time what I really wanted. There was plenty of time to think, grow, get to know people and myself. And looking back, I know that this decision was one of the best in my life and also thanks to it I found out what I wanted from life. I always thought that I would go into economics, and there I confirmed everything and so I flew back to the Czech Republic during the school year, unmotivated to go and take the entrance exams. In Canada, economics and specifically finance are considered a prestigious field and for people there it is automatic to have someone to consult with on everything. So when I got to school and told my friends and acquaintances, I received enormous support. Later, I also met a man who had his own mortgage company right in the center of Toronto. I knew that after arriving in the Czech Republic I would want to find something similar.
Returning home
After returning, I enrolled at Mendel University in Brno, where I am still studying today. At the same time, I wanted to get into practice as quickly as possible – not just because of school, but because I was really interested in it and I was quite excited to start building something like my friend in Toronto. After several interviews, I got into the company where I still work today. I was lucky to have great mentors from whom I am constantly learning. So I started from the basics and over time I built my own path. Although I must say that the beginning was not the easiest. In short, this field does not yet receive the same gratitude and prestige in the Czech Republic as it does in Canada. But it only takes time and I believe that one day it will be at the same, if not higher, level. Today I mainly focus on investments and housing, where I currently see the biggest problem for our generation - owning one's own home.
And because all of this, I believe, happened because of one decision to fly away, I decided to connect these two worlds.
The idea of connecting finances and studying abroad
In Canada, I saw how the local society approaches money – openly, responsibly and with respect. After returning to the Czech Republic, I realized that I would like to gradually transfer this approach here. It all started with the thought: Why shouldn't more people have a similar chance to the one I had? I have experience from abroad and knowledge of finance – and this is a combination that allows me to show that studying abroad does not have to be only for the "chosen ones". And so this project was born – a place where I want to talk openly about how studying abroad really works, how you can prepare for it and how to manage it financially and practically. My goal is for more students and parents to learn about this option. Because I believe that every student should have the chance to see the world from a different perspective.
