Ready to tackle your future with Liza?
Ready to tackle your future with Liza?
Liza is the founder of Skola. Born and raised in Connecticut, the inspiration for her decision to become an international students came from hearing a brief story on NPR about Americans going to college in Germany to avoid student debt.
By 2017, Liza was graduating high school and packing her bags for Prague, Czech Republic. Liza spent four years there completing her bachelors from Anglo American University before packing up once again to move to Brussels, Belgium to get her graduate degree from Vrije Universeteit Brussel.
Liza still lives in Brussels and works full time on building Skola, attends the Start.Lab incubator, and volunteers with Global Shapers.
Liza offers the following services:
30 minute Ask me Anything
1 hour Ask me Anything
Liza’s experience:
Bachelor of Arts in Humanities: Society and Culture at Anglo American University in Prague
Master of Science in New Media and Society in Europe
Professional experience in international student recruitment, communications consultancy, international education, English teaching, and social media
Learn more about Liza below!
What was your first job?
I grew up next door to my Grandpa’s Christmas tree farm, so every winter between Thanksgiving and Christmas I was out at the farm helping my parents and my Grandpa and working for tips.
What’s the best vacation you’ve ever been on?
My boyfriend and I recently visited the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico and it was incredible! We stayed in Merida and Valladolid which were beautiful and vibrant cities, and we got to visit Chichen Itza— one of the 7 wonders of the world! It was amazing to be so immersed in history and learning about the Mayan empire and modern Mayan culture was fascinating. And, of course, the food was heavenly!
Who would your 12-year-old self say is their biggest idol?
Definitely Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen. I watched Passport to Paris and Our Lips are Sealed on repeat.
If you could give one piece of advice to your younger self, what would it be?
If I could tell myself one thing it would be to listen to my gut more. Especially when it came to choosing what to get my degree in and what types of jobs to apply for post-grad. I let too many people influence my decision by telling me I shouldn’t go down certain job paths that I truly held a passion for. I now firmly believe that you are only going to be successful and happy doing something you are passionate about, and that is something only you can decide.
What does Skola mean to you?
Skola means so much to me in so many different ways. On a personal level, Skola feels like the manifestation of years of making mistakes and learning lessons about visas, studying, and starting my life abroad. But for me, the ultimate goal of Skola is just to help other students. I always tell people that I became a “TikToker” because when I posted my first video that went viral I received so many questions I just started answering them and never stopped. And that’s why I created Skola. After years of questions and DM (and struggling to keep on top of it) I created Skola for all of you who ever reached out with a question. And that’s why the community aspect of Skola is so important to me, because this community is what started this mission and it’s the reason Skola came to be.
