The Department of Human Development and Consumer Sciences welcomes Fulbright student David Batizi to the Masters of Sciences degree program in Human Resource Development. David is a native of Budapest, Hungary. Fluent in English, Hungarian, and German, David's language skills reflect his childhood spent in Germany and Hungary, as well as a high school exchange year in Auburn, Indiana.
After graduating with a bachelor's degree from Budapest Business School, David worked in human resource recruitment with ProfiPower (now known as Randstad Hungary), later in human resource administrative management with IBM Hungary, and found his interest growing in the theoretical side of HR. He decided to investigate graduate programs in the United States because of his good experience with the high school exchange program and discovered the Turányi Fulbright Scholarship while searching for funding on the Fulbright Program website. The Turányi Fulbright Scholarship was founded by Sándor Turányi, a prosperous Hungarian businessman who lived in Houston for decades. The co-sponsored scholarship funds students from Hungary who wish to pursue graduate education at the University of Houston.
David contacted the College of Technology to find out more about the HRD program and was referred to Amy Abdallah, a 2008 graduate of the MS program in Human Resources Development. Her contagious enthusiasm for the program, along with wholehearted support from graduate advisor Tiffany Roosa, spurred David into applying to both the Fulbright program and UH.
David says that his experience at UH has been extremely positive. He has enjoyed working with Beatriz Arnillas as an instructional assistant, and stated that he finds career development and organizational behavior fascinating areas for future research, perhaps in the completion of a PhD. He adds that the UH community has been especially welcoming, particularly the ISSSO and the International Friendship Program. He spent last spring break in San Antonio with his host family, whom he met through those organizations.
David's experiences at UH have also led him to consider a future in the non-profit or academic sectors, but has also enjoyed working with Steve Dowdell, Senior Vice President of Human Resources for Cardtronics. Mr. Dowdell is a member of both the Dean's Advisory Board and the HRD program's Industry Advisory Board. David will complete his Master's degree in May 2011.