Scholarships hold the key to supporting talented young people from across the world to study at leading universities and play their part in solving the planet鈥檚 most difficult problems. That鈥檚 the view of Joanna Siembida from Poland, a postgraduate student of International Public Management and Policy (IMP) at EUR, whose ambition is to support countries in making the transition to renewable energy. She speaks from experience as she has been awarded a scholarship from the Erasmus Trust Fund to fund her tuition and living expenses in Rotterdam.
After graduating from SGH Warsaw School of Economics, Joanna decided she wanted to change her focus from finance to the practical challenge of public policy, with focus on sustainability and energy transition.
鈥淭hose changes have to happen in the next few years as we tackle climate change, although it won鈥檛 be easy,鈥 she says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 becoming a controversial issue in many countries as some people might experience negative effects and even lose their jobs, but sustainability is gaining momentum.鈥
Near-impossible
Joanna first heard about EUR from friends who had studied here and spoke highly of the experience. After online research and discovering IMP, she wanted to enrol but admits it would have been near-impossible to fund her year in Rotterdam, without the generous scholarship. She had worked for two years while saving for the masters, but the post-pandemic economic slowdown made it a real challenge.
鈥淭he scholarship has given me the opportunity to develop my knowledge and skills in policy-making in both European and international environments and broaden horizons on sustainability. Appropriately, I鈥檓 about to start a course on governing sustainable transitions and I鈥檓 thinking of writing my master鈥檚 thesis on the subject.
Becoming part of the solution
鈥淚鈥檓 enjoying life in the Netherlands, although it was a little strange to start with. Warsaw is a vibrant city and Rotterdam is much quieter but I鈥檓 finding it easier to concentrate on my studies and that鈥檚 what we are all here for.鈥
Studying alongside young people from many countries has given her insights into the issues surrounding sustainability outside Europe. An earlier student exchange programme in Singapore, unfortunately cut short because of Covid, sparked Joanna鈥檚 interest in travel and she is now seizing the chance to explore the Benelux region.
Despite the challenges related to sustainability, Joanna remains positive: 鈥淚鈥檓 optimistic. After all, we Europeans have faced many challenges in the past and have overcome them so I鈥檓 confident we will find solutions. I鈥檓 looking forward to becoming part of the solution, thanks to what I鈥檝e learned at EUR.鈥
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