Success Story: Interview with Anna Romero – Award Winner at the Academic Annual Celebration of the Fachhochschule Dortmund

We had the pleasure of interviewing Anna Romero, an Academic Award winner at Dortmund University of Applied Sciences, to learn more about her experience during her Master’s degree, her award-winning thesis and her career path. Her inspiring story highlights the value of determination, passion for learning and the pursuit of excellence.

Dear Anna, congratulations on your award! You completed your Master’s degree in Project Management. What drew you to this program and how did you experience your time at Fachhochschule Dortmund?

“Thank you very much! And also for giving me the opportunity to answer these questions today. That’s right – in November 2023, I finished my Master’s degree EuroMPM in IT Project Management at the University of Applied Sciences Dortmund. Back in 2021, when I was finishing my bachelor’s degree in business informatics, I spent a lot of time thinking about what I wanted to do next in my career. At the time, I found the work and environment incredibly exciting, as I was working in an area where there were a lot of IT project managers. That’s when I decided to specialise in this field. There aren’t many universities in North Rhine-Westphalia that offer this specialisation, and I wanted to stay in the region, so I chose FH Dortmund – and I definitely don’t regret it! The content of the programme prepared me very well for my role as a project manager, the professors were very practice oriented in their teaching and I had a really warm and friendly atmosphere with my fellow students. If I had to choose again, I would definitely make the same choice!”

Your thesis played a key role in earning this recognition. Could you tell us more about the topic of your thesis? How did you experience the writing phase, especially while also working at Thyssenkrupp at the same time?

“I would actually like to quote the explanation I wrote for the award brochure, as I think it sums up my work well: In 2023, everyone’s talking about ‘digital transformation’. Almost every company feels compelled to undertake projects to drive it forward. However, research has not yet sufficiently analysed this specific type of project, especially in relation to the focus of my thesis. By examining various aspects of digital transformation projects, such as sources of uncertainty in budgeting or practical experiences shared by project managers, I developed a handbook of recommended measures to address the challenges of these projects and the conditions under which they should be applied.” It was definitely a very exciting topic and, in my opinion, highly relevant when you look at the corporate landscape in Germany. I was lucky to write the thesis in cooperation with my employer, which helped me to combine my studies and my student job perfectly. That made things a lot easier!”

Your advisor, Prof. Dr. Jan-Christoph Albrecht, supervised your thesis. How did the choice of the topic come about, and how did you experience working with him? Were there any special moments or challenges that stand out in your memory?

“I had already had the pleasure of working with Prof. Dr. Jan-Christoph Albrecht for my project thesis, which was a compulsory part of my Master’s programme. I had approached him for supervision because he was one of the few professors in the department who focused on hybrid project management, which was the topic of my project thesis. For my Master’s thesis, I wanted to explore different aspects of project management beyond the methodology. After extensive brainstorming with him and my second supervisor, a manager at Thyssenkrupp Digital Projects, we arrived at the topic for my master’s thesis. Writing not one, but two academic papers under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Albrecht speaks for itself! But if I may add, I really enjoyed working with him and I owe him a significant part of my award. He is a highly competent professor who strikes a balance between challenging and supportive teaching.”

Now, as an alumna, you are a role model for many students. What are you currently doing professionally? And how did you react to the news that you were chosen as an award recipient for this special honor?

“I’m not sure I’m really a good role model! After starting as a Junior IT Project Manager at Thyssenkrupp Digital Projects, I decided to take a different path and become a qualified Dog Behaviour Consultant. I’m currently working at a dog training school and really enjoy working outdoors! However, I’ll probably return to office work this year – let’s see if I can combine the two worlds. The news of the award was completely unexpected. After my career change, I didn’t think anything related to my Masters would come up again, so I was all the more thrilled when I opened the letter!”

We thank Anna Romero for this interview, wish her all the best in her future career path and look forward to welcoming her to our alumni network soon.

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