The World is Our Oyster

What have you been up to since graduation?

After moving around so much with TGS it did take a bit of adjusting to settle into one place, but I’ve now made London a home. I’m in the final year of my undergraduate law degree at King’s College London which has meant a majority of my time should have been spent at the library, but in reality I spent it rowing for my university, exploring London while meeting new people, and trying to navigate living independently in a big city.  I have also undertaken work experience such as at the Supreme Court in Bhutan and an NGO in London.

So it appears that you are the first TGS alum to pursue a law degree. Could you share what led you down that path, and what you hope to accomplish with it? 

I’d considered studying law for a while and this was definitely supported by experiences at TGS such as talks with a NATO brigadier when living in Bosnia. I was interested in understanding more about institutions used to govern behavior on an international scale and knew that studying law would be a good foundation for it. Admittedly, since coming to university I’ve surprised myself with what areas of law I’ve found interesting. I’m looking to pursue an LLM in International Business Law and this is still accompanied by the desire to want to positively contribute to whatever environment I end up working in. I hope to navigate the corporate world and work on an international scale with this in mind. 

What has been the most gratifying project you’ve worked on since graduating?

While working as a research consultant for Coram International, I got to help with the drafting of child protection regulations for Nigeria. Not only did I get to work with legal experts but it gave me real insight to the difficulties in setting and upholding legal standards that are viable on an international scale. Especially because I chose to gear my degree towards business law, being able to work within international development work reminded me of the importance of legal infrastructure. 

Do you feel your experiences at THINK Global School prepared you for life post-graduation? 

I definitely think my time at TGS helped prepare me for the experiences that I’ve had after. Probably more than I’ve even realised, TGS taught me the importance of communication and perseverance in all types of situations. I might have traded a host family in Costa Rica that only spoke Spanish for brokers at the Lloyd’s of London that interact only in insurance contracts, but I’ve found that I’m not uncomfortable in either situation. Nor am I hesitant in asking questions or voicing my thoughts to get the most out of an experience.

At university, I think TGS has helped make me a diligent student and I’m confident even in classes with a diverse group of people, each with an opinion louder than the last. I also have to note that as much as it seemed like a drag at the time, simple things that TGS expected us to do like laundry, groceries, cooking or budget tracking have come in useful. I’ve seen someone at university try to toast a bagel in a microwave. 

What have you been up to since graduation?

Much has occurred since my graduation from TGS back in the spring of 2014. At this point, It’s strange to look back and realize that I have spent a longer time away from TGS than I did as a student. I finished my undergraduate degree last spring in International Political Economy from the School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University; completed several internships around the States during my college years; and began a full-time research analyst position at the International Monetary Fund here in Washington, D.C. I work in the Middle East and Central Asia Department, where I cover a number of countries in the region.

Would you say your time as a student at THINK Global School prepared you for the real world? Are there any particular skills you learned at TGS that you still utilize today?

There is no doubt of any kind that my TGS experience prepared me in a realistic way for the real world, a statement that I am sure many of my classmates would agree with. I think one of the most important skills that TGS provided me with was the ability to communicate effectively with people – whether in personal or professional life – and truly understand their positions. In today’s world where misunderstandings can have disastrous effects, TGS guides its students to not make any assumptions before walking into a room or conversation. It is this open-mindedness that enables TGS graduates to make eloquent statements and conscious expressions that connect them to their audience, through which a greater understanding of the world and its different cultures are exhibited and exemplified.

Now that you are roughly five years out from graduation, where do you see yourself in five years?

Career-wise five years from now, I would like to continue working in the international space (in whatever role that may be) and with actors in emerging markets because working in these somewhat unstructured environments create a lot of room for creativity and growth.

What have you been up to since graduation?

I went to New York University in Abu Dhabi where I studied Computer Science and Mathematics. It is a new liberal arts university with a highly diverse student body, which felt as if it were a natural extension of TGS.

I was fortunate to make close friends, study abroad at several NYU sites, and complement my technical coursework with courses on photography, creativity, business, and many other topics. It had been a vibrant, motivating and fun environment to be in and I am really grateful for the experience.

I moved to Singapore after graduating from NYU Abu Dhabi. I now work as a software engineer at Goldman Sachs, play squash and explore Southeast Asia in my spare time.

What’s something interesting that you’ve worked on?

A few friends and I took a shot at starting a mobile peer-to-peer payments company in the UAE. It did not work out, but it was a great learning experience during which I got to try on many hats.

What’s next?

I’m not sure yet, but I’d definitely like to spend more time with my family, have a fulfilling career and continue to travel. There is a lot I want to do and I’m currently figuring it out.