The CEU Weekly regularly interviews CEU alumni members about their professional experiences after finishing their studies at the university. Hopefully, these interviews will give current students some ideas about career opportunities and will also keep their enthusiasm alive during the most intensive study periods at CEU. This time, we got the chance to interview Júlia Szelivánov, who graduated with an MA in Human Rights back in 2001. She discussed her CEU experiences with us and how they helped her become a diplomat of Hungary.
The CEU Weekly: Why did you choose to study at CEU?
Júlia Szelivánov: I cannot say that the reason of choosing CEU was too original: as most of us, I had heard about the excellent quality of education, and I decided to apply. Sincerely, I knew it was difficult and I was almost not hoping to be accepted.TCW: What were your expectations of the course when you enrolled?
JSz: I started my studies at the Legal Studies Department in 2000. It's difficult to talk about expectations as such. Maybe I could mention the “shock” of the first two months when we had lots of common law, but after surviving that, I could really choose the subjects I was interested in and was planning to deal with in the future (Human Rights, International Law, Law and Ethnicity, Humanitarian Law etc.).
TCW: Has CEU changed your way of thinking and your view of the world?
JSz: Absolutely, CEU gave me a lot in terms of opening up my mind. It was my first time to meet with a new, unusual education system in our region, and it was also my first contact with a truly international environment with students coming from different regions of the world.
TCW: How long did it take you to find a job after graduation, and where did you end up?
JSz: After my graduation in 2001, I applied to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Hungary, and I was admitted in early 2002. That was quite fast, I think. Since my master’s thesis dealt with the electoral process in Kosovo after the fall of the Milosevic regime, I got my first job in the Balkan Department, Serbia and Kosovo Desk in the Ministry. Later on, I spent four years in Paris at the Hungarian UNESCO Mission, and after coming back I continued at the Department of International Organizations and Human Rights. Currently, I am working at the Asia-Pacific Department. Overall, I can say that I benefitted a lot from my studies.
TCW: Can you make use of what you learned at CEU?
JSz: Yes, it was very useful. Maybe not in terms of information gathering, but of skills, definitely.
TCW: What are your memories of the social life at CEU?
JSz: It was great! Originally, I'm not a big fan of huge social events, but during my CEU studies I attended many of them. I also made some very good friends, and we are still in contact, even after more than a decade.
TCW: And finally, what is the next big project in your life at the moment? JSz: Since I am also a certified literary translator, the world of philology and languages has always interested me. Therefore, I am currently pursuing my PhD in the subject of intercultural linguistics with a focus on the national, regional and global implications of language policies. I will shortly go and conduct research on the topic in Geneva, in the library of the United Nations headquarters.
TCW: Júlia, thank you for sharing your story with us, and we wish you the best for your PhD studies.
JSz: Thank you, it was my pleasure!
Eszter Kajtar
School of Public Policy
Hungary
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