This page is all about sharing participants stories and experiences from the Graduate Institute Summer Programme!
Patrycja Horodyska
Poland, External Auditor at the European Commission
2009 Summer Programme on the WTO, International Trade and Development
I would like to recommend the “WTO, trade and development” course to everyone who wishes to broaden his/her knowledge in these areas or/and who plans the career in this field. The Graduate Institute provides a wide range of interesting lectures with magnificent speakers who are the top class in their fields. Moreover, the course is based in Geneva so not only you are surrounded by the beautiful lake, but you have a chance to meet many fascinating people and visit many different institutions depending on your interest.
Last but not least, probably the greatest value added is the people you meet, both your lecturers as mentioned above, and the classmates. The course provides participants with different backgrounds of cultures and professional experience as well as education.
I did previously similar courses at the Columbia and Harvard Universities and I am very glad that I had a chance to participate in this specific course organized by the Graduate Institute which is literally a neighbour to the WTO!
If you are looking for the WTO related studies, you can’t miss it!
Trees Robijns
Belgium, Program Assistant at the German Marshall Fund of the United States in Brussels
2009 Summer Programme on the WTO, International Trade and Development
After being out of school for a couple of years, I started to miss the academic stimulation of university. In my professional career, I am focussing on issues that I did not always study in much detail before. I often did not find myself in the capacity to read up on everything. Thus, after my friends recommended me the program, I applied.
When I arrived, I found myself in a very pleasant environment. Geneva in summer is great. The lake gives a nice feel to it and it is excellent for swimming. In between studying, we found ourselves at Pacquis beach for some drinks or strolled around the lake.
But that was of course not the only reason I came. The Graduate Institute’s program was a great experience. First of all the group of students and young professionals that I found myself surrounded by was of a great level. We had people from all over the world. This helped to broaden our perspective during and in between classes. People were engaged and interested.
The professors were all renowned in their field and most of them combined academic careers with in the field (institutions) jobs. They were very open to questions and really challenged us. I particularly enjoyed the mix between economics, law and political sciences; which is an asset of the school. The variety in ideas and opinions between the professors was also a plus. I also appreciated the seminars in the afternoon, which were held by non-academics.
By isolating myself of daily work issues and focussing only on content for a while, I broadened my vision and will be better able to perform my job. In the meanwhile, I met interesting people and when I came back I almost felt I had been on holiday, a brain holiday.
Harsh Gursahani
India, Law Student at the ILS Law College, Universty of Pune, India
2009 Summer Programme on the WTO, International Trade and Development
There are some experiences that cannot be explained in words. For me, the summer of 2009 would be one of them. It was a difficult task to choose on a particular place or institute for doing my summer schooling. For a law student like me, it meant a travel opportunity, an opportunity to learn as well as an opportunity to get a plethora of new friends and important contacts. This course gave me much more. Everything from meeting people from completely different cultures to interacting with Directors of WTO to sitting in a classroom with the professor who wrote my course book for international economic laws!
The course covered very vast subjects of WTO and trade in a very short time without compromising on the content. Discussions, debates and the personal experience of the faculty taught us what we cannot find or learn through books. The highlight of the course would certainly be the visits to the beast a.k.a. WTO and the UNCTAD. Apart from the exceptional people I met in my class, the city of Geneva offered more. The picturesque location forced us to take those walks and meet up after class hours, just in time to attend the open air parties and movie screenings.
I would thank the Graduate Institute for course, guidance and fun that I had in Geneva.
Leng Shuai
China, Attorney at Law at Deheng Law Firm in Jinan Shizhong
2009 Summer Programme on International Affairs and Multilateral Governance
I came to the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, Geneva, in order to widen my knowledge scope of international issues and set a challenge to myself. The Summer Programme is a wonderful choice, since participants are from all over the world and have very different backgrounds: from UN officials to members of NGOs, scholars, diplomats and so forth.
By attending the Summer Programme on International Affairs and Multinational Governance, I not only learned a lot from very interesting lectures, but I also expanded my international network of contacts both in Geneva and in over 20 countries, such as Brazil, Afghanistan, Senegal, etc.
During the lectures given by selected scholars and experts, several interesting topics related to international affairs and development were discussed in depth. Additional evening conferences followed by debates were also worth attending, since I was exposed to many different viewpoints on the current state of the world. The visits to IOs, such as the WHO, the ICRC, the UN Office in Geneva and the WTO, were of great benefit to my colleagues and myself, since we felt closer to the actual work done there to improve human welfare.
This valuable experience will certainly be of benefit to my current position as a junior international lawyer working at the global level, but I also joined the programme to find out whether the Graduate Institute would be a right place to eventually pursue PhD studies. After approximately one month spent there, I thought it is an amazing place where to carry out research on subjects related to human welfare and sustainable development, humanitarian issues, international trade, and global integration, among others.
In our spare time, we enjoyed dinners out, including a classic Swiss fondue in a traditional restaurant of the city, and visited Lausanne and the nearby French town of Yvoire. I will always remember the fantastic view of the Lake Leman and the smell of the grapes from the wine yards on the lakeside. I would like to take this opportunity to also express my appreciation to Jasmine, Bénédicte, Andrés and the rest of the team organizing the Summer Programmes. Thanks for all your efforts. Merci beaucoup.
Joelle Zahnd
Switzerland, Area Manager at Euroscript AG in Geneva
2009 Summer Programme on International Affairs and Multilateral Governance
Participating in the third edition of the Summer Programme on International Affairs and Multilateral Governance was definitely an intense experience!
Designed for international graduate students and young executives, the morning lectures were presented by renowned lecturers and professors that barely had time to expose their subject within the three hours. Each morning should have continued for a semester! The very well organised and clearly thought through subjects were academic “appetisers”, and I now feel like taking a sabbatical to study in detail and reflect on each and every one of the issues addressed. Parallel to the intellectual work-out provided, the multi-cultural participants contributed vividly to the discussions by sharing their effervescent thoughts, their experiences and comparing the theory taught to the reality in their home countries. Many were the vivid debates we held – during and after class!
The participants benefit fully from such a programme on IA and multilateral governance within the “spirit of Geneva”. Indeed the presence of so many UN offices and NGOs by the Lac Léman also contributes to the success of the course. Catching a glimpse of the concrete work done by International Organisations was a wonderful and valuable combination to the lectures and workshops. At the WHO, ICRC, UN and WTO we were welcomed by experienced staff who answered openly our many questions and sometimes intrusive comments.
Further to the knowledge gained and the eye-opening experience, it is also the incredible mix of the participants’ nationalities and backgrounds that made these three weeks so intense. Throughout this network of new friends from all over the world, we all went back home with new ideas and hopes for your communities. All this could not have been such a success without the organising staff of the Graduate Institute – merci beaucoup!
Minjoo Kim
USA, Bachelor in International relations at Ursinus College, Collegeville, PA
2009 Summer Programme on International Affairs and Multilateral Governance
After I received my bachelor's degree, I was looking for a chance to visit Europe. However, I did not just want to go on sightseeing. I wanted to get to know the people from different parts of the European continent, so that I may learn more about how they thought about issues that matter to all mankind. I wanted this visit to be an experience that challenged me to think deeper and in new ways than I had before. Then, I found out about the Graduate Institue of International and Development Studies while looking for tourist attractions in Geneva on Yahoo. I was immediately drawn by the institute's long history and various academic opportunities that were offered. So, I did not hesitate to apply for the summer programme on International Affairs. And what a great decision it was to apply!
Over the three weeks in Geneva, I got to listen to lectures given by distinguished professionals and academics in the field of International Affairs and to meet international servants from various organizations. The lectures and visits not only challenged me academically and personally, but it motivated other participants to discuss and share their ideas and passion to make our world a better place for all people. By sharing deep convictions with one another, the participants became close friends. Perhaps this is the greatest thing I can say about the summer programme. I had a chance to meet people from many parts of the world (India, Afghanistan, Switzerland, Mexico, United States, Lebanon, Germany... too many to list) that I became great friends with. Not only we had the same passion and desire for a better world, we inspired each other to pursue our dreams, maybe even greater dreams than we had before. As a person aspiring to become a humanitarian, their friendship will always be a source of inspiration. To conclude this testimonial, I would like to write this quote, "Never, for the sake of peace and quiet, deny your experiences or convictions." I can say with great confidence that the IA Summer Programme was definitely an experience I will never deny for peace.
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