Emily

I left the British Section in 2021, after about thirteen years spent at the Lycée International. It was a great chance to bring all that I had learnt and experienced with me away from a familiar environment, first into my Bachelor's and now in my Master's degree.  

I spent the first two years of my higher education in France, at Université Paris Sciences & Lettres, where I studied environmental science and climate policies. The first steps out of high school were particularly exciting and helped me diversify my interests and my understanding of social issues by meeting people with very different backgrounds. 

I then worked in rural Nepal with a human and animal rights organisation for three months to study the impact of tiger conservation policies on the local population. This experience was very special and besides discovering a brand new environment, I also learned a lot about what I hope to achieve in the future, and it is inspiring me to find the best ways to communicate the issues that are difficult to understand from far away, seen only through books, films and articles. 

This experience led me to much colder latitudes, but with the same idea of looking for the heart of problems I am interested in. I am currently completing a master's degree in International Relations and Regional Studies at the University of Tartu, in Estonia. My work mostly focuses on environmental degradation and the responsibility of Russia in the unsustainable practices of post-Soviet countries. Estonia is a very privileged place to understand the impact of Russia in the world, which is felt much closer here than in France, where the threat of occupation feels a lot more real than in many places in Europe, especially in light of the war in Ukraine. 

In my personal life, I retain the interests that I got to develop in the British Section - I continue to read profusely, write fiction, and find interest in history. I get involved in local community organisations, if I can, try to learn new languages, and travel as much as I can. I also developed new skills, including scuba diving, which is a great source of joy and discovery. 

I hope to finish my master's in 2026 and divert from academia, which has so far dominated my studies, to instead work with non-governmental organisations.