Jamie Greenfield, a Politics graduate, University of Westminster (2019-2022), now working within corporate retail, reflects on field trips to Hanoi and Geneva, finding his research voice through DEN, and the friendships that started at the gates of Wells Street.
Part of the Inside Westminster anniversary series marking ten years of the Democratic Education Network.
Q1. How did you first come into contact with DEN, and what brought you in?
I first came into contact with DEN in my first year of university. I will always remember trying to leave the Wells Street offices and being stopped at the gates by Farhang, who said to me, “Where are you going? Are you not going to DEN? There’s food!” Since that encounter, I attended and never left. Once I understood the purpose and aims of DEN, I stuck around, even after graduating.
Q2. Which DEN activities have you taken part in?
Over the course of my time in DEN, I have been on various field trips to Geneva and Hanoi, worked on the virtual field trip during Covid, and participated in the books and conferences multiple times.
Q3. Was there a particular moment, conversation or piece of feedback at DEN that has stayed with you?
There are so many moments during my time in DEN that stick with me. Whether it has been open conversations with Farhang on the direction I plan to take in research, or hearing feedback from fellow students on articles I have written, it has all been valuable and constructive.
Q4. What aspects of DEN have had the biggest impact on you?
DEN has helped me look back at my years at university with fondness, and with a hope that it will long continue. It became a personal anchor during my second year at university because of Covid. Meeting over Zoom calls to discuss a virtual field trip, reviewing articles and hosting the annual conference virtually became something I ended up needing during that period. Being able to go to Hanoi in my final year, or to present my work on Thai politics and continue expanding in that field, has all come through DEN, leaving lasting impacts on me.
Q5. How has DEN helped you to develop personally?
DEN has really helped me become confident, and build relationships across different years and academic subjects that I would not have been able to without it. Joining university was quite isolating for the first few months, but having a support network within DEN gave further purpose and joy to my studies.
Q6. Has DEN helped you with employability, career or professional development?
DEN has helped with my employability; I was able to get a job shortly after graduating. Working in a public or corporate environment, you need an understanding of global pressures and issues. The diversity of DEN allows students from various backgrounds and specialist areas of academic knowledge to share and teach each other. This sharing and understanding of knowledge is key for employability.
Q7. What is one thing DEN has given you that you would have struggled to find elsewhere?
The various field trips organised by DEN are something I know friends from other universities, or even from within Westminster, struggled to be given. As I mentioned earlier, understanding the global environment matters; being in Vietnam on a field trip while it was going through rapid development put all the learning and the preparatory work into real perspective.
| “You may enter DEN alone, but you end up leaving with friends and a stronger passion for an area you care about.” |
Q8. What would you say to a colleague at another university about DEN?
DEN is about building and nurturing opportunities that are typically out of reach for undergraduate students. Building confidence, writing and speaking ability, becoming a more rounded person: that is what DEN does for students.
Q9. Is there anything DEN should do differently in the next decade?
It is not about doing things differently, but always keeping the students front and centre.
Q10. What advice would you give to students who are starting out, or who are thinking of joining DEN?
Simply put, just attend. There is no harm in going, and the opportunities that come during and after it can transform your academic and employment outlook. You may enter DEN alone, but you end up leaving with friends and a stronger passion for an area you care about.
| About this series This piece is part of In Their Own Words, a rolling series of short interviews marking the Democratic Education Network’s tenth anniversary. Across 2026 and 2027, Inside Westminster is publishing reflections from students, alumni, academics, managers and support workers across DEN’s international network. Find the full series at insidewestminster.co.uk/den-at-10. |