How did you hear about PPE? And what was the 4th floor like back then?
I was considering politics or economics. Then I found PPE, a new programme, and thought it was exactly something I would want to do. In my year, we were only around 30 people and had the whole floor to ourselves. Hence, we became a very close group. The library was our domain!

What did you do in your fifth semester?
I did an internship in Beirut at an Arab NGO that focused on European politics. Early on, I wanted to go to the Middle East, and there are lots of NGOs in Beirut. I started applying to different organisations and then chose the one with the most interesting opportunities for me.

What did you write your thesis about?
About game-theoretic models of conflict and negotiated resolutions. Essentially, I analysed the circumstances under which conflicts are more likely to escalate into open warfare, or even to the point where the parties start shooting at each other. Rene van den Brink was my supervisor, so that fit quite well. He was a good supervisor, very knowledgeable and well-versed in game theory, of course, but also interested in the broader perspective of things.

What was your favourite course in PPE?
I’ll cheat and say the PiP courses. In those courses, you really get to apply what you’ve learned in theory, and you start to analyse real-life problems. You basically learn to analyse policy from the beginning of your studies. That teaches you skills you undoubtedly need later in life. The analyses increase in depth when you move into work, but the underlying skills are still useful. That makes PPE very special. Besides that, I also really liked History of Philosophy.

What did you do between PPE and today? What are you doing now?
At first, I did my master’s at the VU: Law and Politics of International Security. Then I did diplomatic training. In the Netherlands, you first get posted to The Hague for two years and then spend two to three years at an embassy. I was in Senegal. From there, you apply for different postings. I applied to Singapore. Now, I am a diplomat at the Dutch embassy in Singapore, focusing on trade and economic relations.

Why did you initially decide to pursue diplomatic training and become a diplomat?
I was always very interested in politics and curious about how politics affects people’s everyday lives. We talk about what is happening in the world, but sometimes we act as though it doesn’t affect us personally. I find it interesting to understand how events affect people across the globe, no matter how small the town or community.

Another reason was that you get to interact with people from very different backgrounds. In the Netherlands, I grew up around different cultures, so trying to understand others and their view of the world has always been part of my life. For me, communication starts with understanding who is in front of you. That is also the essence of diplomacy: understanding the other party and their cultural lens, and making your message connect with them. It is about building relationships and finding outcomes that work for everyone. Of course, that can be challenging sometimes. But in the end, you just have to understand the other person and adapt, so you can move forward.

How has PPE shaped the way you work now?
PPE taught me to look at the world through different lenses and that you can learn from different fields. That is basically my job now. One day I am working on security, the next day I work on migration, and now I work on economic affairs, from development cooperation in agriculture to semiconductors and chips. The job is very diverse, but the essence is looking at what the issues and opportunities are and finding out how you can steer them in a certain direction. I think that is the beauty of PPE: it helps you understand the world in many different ways.

What is your favourite memory from PPE?
All of the events were great. Or the philosophy sessions with Akshath, where he would really push us into deep philosophical thinking. And watching the US elections in 2016. We did an all-nighter at the university.

Are you still connected to people from PPE?
Yes, definitely! We still have a group chat with all of us. Of course, we don’t see each other that often because we’re spread all around the globe. But PPE will never let you go. It is funny how you run into people from PPE everywhere: I was in Senegal at a little surf shop where I met a friend of a friend of a friend of mine. And that person also studied PPE at the VU. Quite random, but so fun.

What are your plans for the future?
I’m keeping my options open. I enjoy my job a lot, and it is an amazing opportunity. But I could also imagine going back into academia, using my brain to its full potential. It could be fun to try something like this again. But who knows…

Thank you very much for your time!
Thank you!