Recently, the BAIS Alumni Association organised their yearly reunion. Due to the current circumstances, there was a twist: the reunion – as many events that are currently being organized – took place online. This was a perfect solution for a Bachelor programme that finds its students from all over the world; there were people present from various time zones.
In this year’s PRINS course, so many things were different from previous years. The International Studies consultancy course for third-year BA students took place in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic. This meant that all programme elements were carried out online – including the closing ceremony on June 18.
Participating in a demanding academic course during the Covid-19 pandemic was a challenging experience for everybody involved. This was certainly the case for PRINS, the International Studies consultancy course in which student teams develop solutions to research questions from organisations and companies. Students, research coaches and clients, including aQysta and Amnesty International, reflect on this year’s PRINS edition.
Dear alumni,
One of the webinars recorded during the University’s Online Career week in May, was provided by our International Studies alumna Marliese Vollebregt. In it she gives career tips and advice. She talks about what she did after graduation, how she went about her job search and her current job as a project employee a Dutch NGO: JINC. JINC is a Dutch non-profit organisation, striving for a society in which a child’s background does not determine a child’s future. In her job, Marliese works with children/youth in cooperation with schools and business partners.
Before deciding on coming to Leiden for International Studies, Maurice Kirschbaum had already studied two years of law at King’s College in London. During his time as a jurist for SOS Jurists, a local legal aid NGO that helps asylum seekers in the Lake Geneva region, he realised he did not speak any of the languages of the refugees or could understand the politics of their cases he had to take to court. “I wanted to connect with people in those situations, so I applied.”
For Alba Medina Bermejo, everything came together in Leiden. Firstly, there was no International Studies in her native Spain. Secondly, she could focus on Africa and learn another language, as well as its history and culture. And thirdly, she loved its multi-disciplinary approach, which helps her in her current job: “It gives you a more holistic view of the current world issues and dynamics. You learn to see different sides to problems.”
Dear International Studies Alumni,
Nominate a fellow student to be a Student Member in the International Studies Programme Board!
At the Writing Lab, we want to ensure that you still get the support that you need for your academic writing during these trying times, for that reason you can be in touch with us online!
