Describe your big “a-ha” moment.
My big a-ha moment happened during my undergrad, when I took my first political science class, in the summer 2012. My first two years as an undergraduate student were filled with translation classes, which I loved, but knew deep down that I had to do more. After taking that first political science course, I decided to pursue a degree in the subject, while finishing my translation degree. This decision helped shape my future and allowed me to study and research what I was most interested in and passionate about.
What is a global issue you are passionate about and why?
My research interests during my academic career have greatly evolved over time and included Humanitarian Affairs, European Politics, Minority Rights and Arctic Politics, among others, all of which I have grown passionate about. During my undergrad, I created an individual course that gave me the opportunity to write a report on humanitarian affairs, the purpose of which was to analyze the role of international aid agencies in conflict and post-conflict zones. In pursuing this research, I was able to understand the development issues peacekeeping operations encounter in fractious zones and identify the limitations of key humanitarian concepts.
During my master’s degree at CERES, I had the opportunity to study a number of European-centric issues, namely the European far right, which I dedicated my research paper to, but there was one global issue that marked me more than others, and that was the study of Muslim institutionalization across Western Europe. Since discovering this topic, I have attempted to grasp the numerous aspects of it in each country, namely France, Germany and The United Kingdom at first, but then extended the subject to Hungary, the Balkans and Greece. This issue is particularly interesting to me due to the cultural and religious aspects it imposes on societies in countries that seek to push away from those particular dimensions of society.
How has CERES helped you in your work?
CERES has helped me in many ways. First, through its interdisciplinary approach, it allowed me to vagabond in the world of research, permitting me to choose classes on Arctic Affairs, Russian politics and Modern Greece, rendering possible for me to find my own focus and understand what it is I cared about.
CERES also provided me with the fantastic opportunity to travel. First, my internship at Political Capital, a policy research and consulting Institute in Budapest, Hungary, where I spent my time working on the European far right and Russian influence on European politics and where I had the opportunity to co-write a published report based on my compiled data. Then, as part of a small team of researchers conducting a separate research project, I travelled to Tunis to participate in a number of meetings with key Tunisian stakeholders to assess the current state of the democratic transition in the country.
In my last few months at CERES, I was part of a small team of students who went to Greece to conduct field research. I spent a week in Athens conducting interviews on the subject of Muslim Institutionalization. This particular experience was eye opening in understanding the various enmeshments at the heart of this subject, fluctuating from recurring historical tensions to great misunderstandings across cultures.
Finally, and more generally, CERES has given the resources to pursue my interests in a positive and supportive environment, where I was lucky to make many friends, whether that be professors and coordinators, and students.
What are your next steps?
Since graduating in November 2016, I was able to find a job that reconciles my many facets: I am an analyst at the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada. I get to speak French (my native tongue), I work alongside passionate people and politicians and can contribute to shaping the future of Education in Canada. This is my first “real” step in the professional sphere, with I hope many more to come.
January 23, 2017
