Alumni dreams #233

Looking for a bachelor that would allow students to explore their interests, Malene enrolled in the BA IS after starting a previous bachelor that didn’t suit her. She had already lived in China for two years, and she wanted to learn more about Chinese politics and society. As such, she became specialized in East Asia. 

During her time at the bachelor, Malene was part of the Radi8Radio, which is the BASIS podcast, and made an episode on “Information Overload and Perpetual Presence” with two other students. Malene and her fellow students were feeling exhausted from constantly consuming the news, and receiving an overload of group messages and daily e-mails. She really enjoyed making the episode, and is happy that it received good feedback. 

After the bachelor, she enrolled in a Master in Journalism, Media and Globalisation. This is an Erasmus Mundus Master, and so she completed her first study year in Aarhus, Denmark, and has now started her second year in Prague, Czechia. Last summer, she worked as a foreign news journalist in a media company in Bergen (Norway). After her studies, she will return to Norway to start her job as a journalist in the national broadcaster (NRK).

Her thesis on Chinese media, her minor in Media, Culture and Society and her participation in the Radi8Radio all contributed to Malene’s desire to pursue further studies and a career in journalism after International Studies. Becoming a journalist also seemed like the perfect way to combine all the skills she built up over the course of the bachelor. 

We applaud the pursuit of jour passions Malene, and hope to see more of you, maybe even through the news! 

Alumni dreams #238

Sarah was drawn to International Studies due to its diverse student population and the opportunity to learn a language. Her thesis was focused on the suicide epidemic in South Korea, and explored the nature and causes behind suicides in the famous K-Pop industry. 

During her studies, Sarah discovered that she had a deep interest in psychology, which was something that she had not even considered before starting International Studies. After taking courses in Cross-Cultural psychology, she now wishes to pursue a Masters in the field of Psychology. 

After graduating, Sarah spent some time working in hospitality while waiting for the new post-pandemic environment to normalize. After that, she travelled to Vietnam to discover a new country and meet the locals and countless other international travelers. 

Currently, she is situated in Verona, Italy, where she has started a new job as an English teacher. Sarah believes her openness and her ability to communicate cross-culturally is what led her to where she is today. She is looking forward to immersing herself into the Italian culture as much as she can, which in her memory is very similar to what she did when she was studying the BA in the Hague. She hopes to start an MA in Psychology in a few years, hopefully in the Netherlands. 

We wish you the best time in Italy, and hope to maybe someday welcoming you back to the Hague, Sarah!

Alumni dreams #239

Studying the East Asia region and learning Mandarin has certainly helped Roberta to become exposed to a non-Eurocentric perspective, which in her eyes really enhanced her skills in critical thinking. She graduated from the bachelor with a thesis on China’s evolving stance on global climate efforts, particularly since the Paris agreement. 

After graduating, Roberta moved to Paris to start her Master in International Governance and Diplomacy at Sciences Po. She is specializing in environmental sustainability, which means that she is taking various courses on international climate governance. Last September (2023) she started an internship at an organization working on sustainable development in the Euro-Mediterranean area. Roberta is very excited to finally put what she has learned into practice, and have the ability to make a real, concrete impact. 

She envisions her future career path being focused on the environmental cause, as this is something that she is really passionate about. This passion is what gives her the motivation to continue to work hard to improve her skills and knowledge. 

We love your commitment to making a change Roberta, keep up the great work!