I am confident I have made the right choice with Buckinghamshire New University, and I am grateful for all the knowledge, guidance, patience and understanding my tutors have provided. I am looking forward to exploring new horizons and contributing to building a safe and secure sky.

My name is Hristina Ivanova, and I am currently a student at Buckinghamshire New University.

I chose the MSc Aviation Security course because I am passionate about the subject and willing to take ownership of my career. Since 2015, I have been working as a cabin crew member for one of the major low-cost airlines in the UK, and in 2021, I joined its security department.

Combining my studies with a demanding working schedule was vital; distance learning allowed me this flexibility. Further, all tutors have been incredibly supportive and understanding of the needs of full-time working students. I am one of those people who gets stressed when it comes to exams and assignments. However, the University has a specialised counselling department that provides the necessary guidance when needed, making it easier to cope with the pressure.

The modules were engaging; our tutors presented updated data and information about current aviation security events. We regularly had key guest speakers working in the field who enlightened us with intelligence on current trends and shared their experiences, views, understandings, and predictions.

For one of my first assignments, I had to write about security culture, and I chose to investigate the security culture at my current airline. I shared the findings discovered with my colleagues from the security department at the end of my research, and we started working on filling those gaps. The knowledge I gained allowed me to think outside the box, be more confident, and apply my learning to practice. 

I am confident I have made the right choice with Buckinghamshire New University, and I am grateful for all the knowledge, guidance, patience and understanding my tutors have provided. I am looking forward to exploring new horizons and contributing to building a safe and secure sky.