For me, EUSP did not only represent an incredible opportunity to gain new knowledge in an hard working and inspiring environment with knowledgeable and dedicated teachers, it also represents a place where I immediately felt at home. The warm welcome that I got by both staff and teachers after deciding to drop out of the university that I was originally going to do my exchange semester at (as it did not live up to my expectations) helped me keep motivated and to work hard, studying subjects that I really love at the IMARES program.
I would say that it is thanks to EUSP that I went on doing an internship at the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs Russia and Central Asia Desk and that I’m now living in Osh, Kyrgyzstan, working with organizational development and human rights at a local NGO. For me, my semester at the EUSP and in Saint Petersburg really helped me realize that I want to keep developing my knowledge and understanding of Eastern European, Russian and Central Asian politics, policy making, history and culture.
Saint Petersburg as a city and EUSP as an educational institution will forever have a special place in my heart.