Made @KTU. How international university graduates carved out successful careers in Lithuania

They like cepelinai and šaltibarščiai but miss food from home, enjoy the four seasons, but agree that Lithuanian weather is very different from what they’re used to, they like Vilnius but prefer Kaunas. They arrived here for studies, found jobs and stayed for years after graduation.

The stories of international Kaunas University of Technology (KTU) graduates are inspiring – they teach a lesson of following one’s dream.

“I got here five years ago while I was looking for a change in my career. The road led me to Lithuania, where I did a master’s degree in mechatronics at KTU,” says Konstantinos Loukas from Greece.

KTU alumni work as aircraft engineers and social entrepreneurs

Azad Ismayilov from Azerbaijan came to Lithuania almost six years ago to study aviation engineering bachelor’s. Today, he is a double graduate of KTU, also holding a master’s in industrial engineering and management. Azad works as a CAMO engineer at FL Technics, an international aircraft maintenance service provider, headquartered in Vilnius.

His fellow citizen Narmin Aliyeva longs for a walk in the narrow streets of Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan. KTU informatics bachelor’s and master’s graduate, Narmin is a real busy bee: she is the founder of SPEAK Lithuania, an initiative awarded by the Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda, a quizmaster, organising pub quizzes everywhere she travels, and a social entrepreneur.

“SPEAK Lithuania is a language and culture platform where anyone can join and share their language with others. At the same time, they can learn any language for free,” Narmin explains the initiative, which started in Portugal.

Fallon Manhanga, a KTU civil engineering graduate says that she has been living here for so long that it is hard to spot any differences between Lithuania and her native Zimbabwe – she prefers focusing on similarities instead.

Girinath Anandhan, a KTU mechatronics alumnus from India is also a man of many talents. During the day, he works as an accounts receivables clerk at Cencora, and after work, he creates his podcast on all things space.

Working as a commercial consultant at a software solutions company Mygom.tech, he enjoys bicycling in his free time. “Never be afraid to be unique and special,” Emil encourages those, who are just starting their professional careers.

Made @KTU is a series of videos and articles about KTU alumni careers. Check out our TikTok and Instagram for more.