My name is Dominika Mazarová and I am a graduate of GYMES. Still under my maiden name Dominika Pavlíková, I was part of the first, and in many ways groundbreaking, class of the bilingual programme. I graduated in 2016. My class teacher was the wonderful Mrs Mary Lukáčová. After graduating from GYMES, I was accepted to an excellent university in Aalborg in Denmark, where I studied International Hospitality Management. During my studies, just as at GYMES, I took part in extracurricular activities. I represented our programme in the student council, participated in various competitions and attended voluntary courses. I have very fond memories of an international competition of hotel management universities in the Netherlands and internships in five-star hotels in Italy and the Czech Republic. Alongside my studies I worked in various positions within hospitality and gastronomy, which allowed me to understand the responsibilities of every role, from the lowest to the highest. My university studies gave me a great deal of knowledge, experience and practical skills that I continue to apply in my professional life. Currently I am the manager of the four-star family-run BIO HOTEL & WELLNESS ZLATÝ HÝĽ. My work includes everything from marketing and communication to organising events, recruiting new employees and even helping to create the restaurant menu. In my personal life, after returning from Denmark, God brought my long-lost first love from my secondary school years back into my life. In 2022 he became my husband. We now have a twenty-month-old son and in August we are expecting the arrival of our second baby boy. In every area of my life, both personal and professional, my faith in God comes first. With Him everything is clearer, easier and better.

How did you perceive the atmosphere at school during your studies?

I think that everyone whose path crossed mine gave me something, some more and some less. I certainly have wonderful memories of our class teacher Mary Lukáčová, as well as Mrs Talpašová, Mrs Kapitánová and Mr Joščák and Mr Leško.

Was there anyone among the teachers at GYMES who inspired you or significantly influenced you?

Myslím, že všetci s ktorými sa mi stretli cesty, mi niečo odovzdali, niektorí viac, iní menej. Skvelé spomienky mám jednoznačne s našou triednou – Mary Lukáčovou, s p.uč. Talpašovou, Kapitánovou, s pánmi učiteľmi Joščákom či Leškom.

Which moment at school do you consider a turning point for your personal or professional development?

The moment when I decided to choose Italian as my second language. Later it helped me find a job in Denmark, where it was actually very difficult to find work. I worked for a man from Naples who practically offered me the job after only a week of searching mainly because I had some basic knowledge of Italian. It also helped me obtain an excellent internship in the Italian Dolomites and valuable professional contacts.

Have any of your friendships from GYMES lasted until today?

Thanks to GYMES I formed deep and meaningful friendships that I believe will last a lifetime, especially with Lucka Stankovičová (now Eliášová), Peťa Hudačeková and Katty Plichtová (now Gubová). I also formed very nice friendships with Janko Paralič and Marek Szakács. Although we may not meet regularly anymore, we still find time for one another from time to time.

 How did you choose your seminars and future direction at GYMES?

I was always a rather practical type of person, and until my third year I often had doubts about whether I had chosen the right path. At a grammar school you have to study a bit of everything, and I even considered transferring to another school, perhaps a hotel academy. In my third year, if I remember correctly, we had a feedback meeting with our class teacher and I told her about my doubts. She convinced me that better times were coming and that I would soon be able to focus more on subjects that would help me specialise. I trusted her advice and I think it was the right decision. Since I already knew my goal, which was the hospitality industry and studying in Denmark, I looked into whether I needed any specific subjects to be accepted to university. At that time the requirements were to have enough credits from English and mathematics, which thanks to GYMES I met without any problem, and of course an excellent average in my leaving examinations and final school reports. I therefore chose Italian, because every language is an advantage in tourism, geography, which I enjoyed, civics, and if I remember correctly, economics as an elective subject.

Did GYMES help you in any way in your spiritual life?

I do not know whether it moved me forward, but it certainly helped me remain on the right path and strengthened my conviction that being with God is the most important thing in any trial. It was wonderful that on more difficult days we could go to the chapel and speak with God.

How did GYMES prepare you for life beyond the classroom?

I probably do not have enough space to describe everything, but it certainly taught me that in life I will meet many different people. Perhaps the most important thing is not how they behave towards me, but how I behave towards them. After all, I am the one who must live with myself. It also taught me to work hard on myself and that if I do so, I can achieve a great deal. It also taught me not to be afraid of challenges and difficult tasks.

What advice would you give to current students?

Make the most of your time at secondary school. You will never again have so much time for yourself and for your own interests, and you will never again have so much energy. Take every opportunity to participate in competitions, projects and extracurricular activities. Go abroad, take part in Erasmus programmes or exchange stays, do internships, simply make use of everything that is offered to you. You will never regret it.

Which achievement at GYMES outside the classroom are you most proud of?

The first school ball that I was responsible for organising. No one really knew what could be done, how to do it or how much it would cost. When everyone later enjoyed the ball and was satisfied, I felt an extraordinary sense of fulfilment. It also sparked my interest in event management. I am also proud of everything we achieved together within the school student parliament.

How did you deal with moments when you felt unsuccessful or experienced failure during your studies? What did you learn from those moments?

I never handled stressful testing particularly well, for example the English proficiency testing in the third year or the written part of the English leaving examination. I did not achieve the results I had expected. In the long run, however, I can say that I never dwelt on it for very long, perhaps only for a week after the results were announced. It would not have helped me in any way if I had gained an additional five, ten or twenty points. Precisely because the results were perhaps not exactly what I had hoped for, I felt that I needed to work even harder. Later, when I moved abroad and had to use English every day, those points no longer mattered at all.