Alumni dreams #21

Since graduating as most outstanding student, Juan Costa continued to work with startup Conseev, LLC as Chief Operating Officer.

He is doing a MSc degree in Social Science of the Internet at Oxford. A multidisciplinary degree for which he builds on International Studies knowledge, but now with a strong focus on computational approaches to social sciences.

He is learning new skills such as coding and data mining. Successfully, as he received the O'Reilly award for Digital Social Research!

Alumni dreams #29

Vlad Adam graduated from the BA with a specialization in Europe. In the summer thereafter, he worked as an intern for both the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Romanian Presidency.

He returned to Leiden University to pursue an MA International Relations. Afterwards, he worked for the British Embassy in Romania as a Trade Assistant, before departing for Stockholm University, where he enrolled in the MSc Demography program.

Vlad now works in Mergers & Acquisitions, as an Associate in Deloitte Romania's Corporate Finance team!

Alumni dreams #51

Before her MA European Union Studies Iris Alea Bekker spent six months in Barcelona, her second home, doing an internship at the trade promotion office of the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs.

Last August, while still finalizing her thesis on secessionism in Europe, Iris was offered a job at the Dutch Chamber of Commerce (KvK)! There she uses her knowledge of European & Dutch politics, policy and legislation as a Junior Public Affairs advisor.

In the image you see her briefing the CEO for a visit by the State Secretary of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy to the KvK, which Iris is helping to organize.

Fantastic Iris! Well done!

Alumni dreams #96

Since graduating from the BA International Studies at Leiden, Karolina Arvidsson-Kvissberg decided to focus her efforts on sustainability. She got her first exposure to the topic while working in the Sustainability Department at Kappahl, a Swedish clothing company.

Currently Karolina is completing her Masters Program in Environmental Management and Policy at the International Institute for Industrial Environmental Economics at Lund University.

Her hope is to use her education to achieve the ultimate goal: working in sustainable maritime governance! Here she is smiling at work.

Enjoy goal setting and achieving Karolina!

Alumni dreams #101

Evangelos Grapsas combined the BA with an internship at the Consulate and at the Embassy of Greece in the Netherlands. He had also been the Head of the Social Committee of BASIS The Hague and a Vice-President of the Rotaract Club of The Hague.

His bachelor thesis was on Greek Foreign Policy in the Balkan Triangle with an interdisciplinary approach. Upon graduation, he served in a Radar and Intelligence Unit of the Hellenic Navy. Soon after, he pursued a Master in European Studies & External Relations from KU Leuven with thesis on Russian Foreign Policy discourse towards Europe in an outside-in dissident geopolitical perspective.

Evangelos was an EU Affairs associate for think-tank Diktio of the Former EU Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Minister of Greece, Ms. Diamantopoulou.

He is now a trainee at the European Investment Bank (EIB) for the European Fund for Strategic Investments, a plan to remobilize investments and growth in Europe!

Great skill and careerbuilding Vangelis!