Caption-MUW senior Stefani Sloma is pictured with writer Ian Rankin during her trip to Edinburgh last summer. (Courtesy photo)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 19, 2012
Contact: Corbett Estes
(662) 329-7119
cme@muw.edu

Sloma to pursue master’s in publishing at Scottish university

COLUMBUS, Miss. -- Mississippi University for Women student Stefani Sloma, a Brandon native, is taking the next big leap in education by pursuing a master’s degree in publishing at the University of Stirling in Scotland.

During her tenure at the University of Stirling, which starts in September 2012 and ends in August 2013, Sloma will complete a publishing project that will span an entire year as she learns about the most important aspects of publishing.

“I’ll be able to learn about all kinds of publishing such as digital publishing, marketing, paper publishing, and I’ll get my master’s degree in the process.” she said.  “In addition, attending graduate school in Scotland is actually less expensive than attending in the U.S.”

Tuition at the University of Stirling in Scotland is close to $15,000 a year, whereas the average tuition for graduate school in the United States is almost twice that amount. Sloma has applied for a few grants to assist her in graduate school expenses.

“My family is also very excited for me, but they are nervous about me being so far away,” she added.  “I feel the same way about the University of Stirling that I did when I first came to MUW in 2008. It feels like it is where I belong.”

Sloma said MUW has prepared her for the step she is taking in September.

“I am the person I am today because of The W. MUW broke me out of my shell and gave me confidence. The classes and professors here have helped to prepare me for my future; I know that I will be able to handle any class or situation wherever I am because of what I've learned here.

“The whole reason I'm going to Scotland for graduate school is because of the fantastic study abroad program with the Honors College at The W. Applying to The W (it was actually the only school to which I applied), was the best decision I've ever made.”
Sloma is a member of the Ina E. Gordy Honors College at MUW. She has studied abroad in Edinburgh in Scotland twice with the Residential Honors Program that is a part of the Gordy Honors College.

Last summer she worked on her senior honors project titled “The City as Character: Edinburgh in the Works of Ian Rankin.” She is focusing on Rankin’s Inspector Rebus Series, which is a crime fiction series based in Edinburgh. A highlight of her trip was interviewing Rankin in person.