On 10 October the University of Westminster hosted a diverse panel of recent Politics and International Relations BA Honours graduates as part of the University of Westminster’s What Comes Next? event series. The group discussed their experiences and shared their insight into career options after graduation.
The panel discussed a range of useful topics before opening the floor for a Q&A session for students. This was followed by a presentation about placements and a networking social with refreshments.
The panel was made up of Alexandra Bukhareva, Antonia Cheptanus, Ruth Aidoo, Kinsi Dualeh and Juliana Rozensztajn.
Alexandra Bukhareva is a Grant Officer for the Rapid Support Mechanism in Somalia at the UN’s International Organisation for Migration (IOM). She was successfully selected in 2023 for the University’s IOM internship programme and embarked on a nine-month internship with IOM Somalia at their support office in Nairobi, Kenya. Upon successful completion of her internship in February 2024, Alexandra was offered a full-time position at IOM.
Antonia Cheptanus graduated in 2021 and is currently a Programme Support Officer in the Pathology Business Unit at Guy's and St Thomas UK. As well as her current role, she is President of the League of Romanian Student Abroad UK. She is also the Founder of ValVital, a Romanian NGO that deals with providing access to quality End of Life Care to low-income communities.
Ruth Aidoo is a Technical Business Analyst at The Pensions Regulator and graduated in 2019. Ruth is passionate about diversity, equity and inclusion, and has had the opportunity to engage in leadership roles that reflect this commitment. In 2023 she served as a Boardroom Apprentice with the Consumer Council for Water, and at The Pensions Regulator Ruth helped restart and co-chaired the Minority Ethnicity (ME) Network. Through this role, she worked alongside colleagues to create a more inclusive environment for minority ethnic employees, fostering important conversations around diversity and belonging.
Kinsi Dualeh graduated in 2020 and since then has gone on to become a Global Mobility Administrator at Foster + Partners. As a professional in the global mobility sector she works to foster collaboration across diverse workforces, working in areas including immigration, relocation and cross-cultural sensitivity.
The final panellist was Juliana Rozensztajn. After graduating in 2021 she went on to gain a Master’s in International Studies and Diplomacy before taking on the role of Executive Assistant at the Embassy of Brazil.
There were 47 students in attendance who all had the chance to learn from the panel’s experiences. About the event one student said: “Listening to the panel and hearing their journeys gave me great comfort in knowing that not everything goes your way, patience is the key to success.”
The event was organised by Westminster's Alumni Relations Office, Rob Macmaster, Principal Lecturer in Politics, and Dr Sahar Taghdisi Rad, Senior Lecturer in International Political Economy.
David Brooks, Alumni Relations Officer at the University of Westminster, said: “This was a great event to kick off the What Comes Next? series for the new academic year. The panel offered lots of insights and useful advice for students to consider as they start their careers. We really appreciate our alumni volunteering to support our students, and we’ve received lots of positive feedback from the Politics and International Relations students too.”
This event directly contributes to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth. Since 2019, the University of Westminster has used the SDGs holistically to frame strategic decisions to help students and colleagues fulfil their potential and contribute to a more sustainable, equitable and healthier society.
Find out more about studying Politics and International Relations at the University of Westminster.
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