An IR and Development Studies alumnus on the Georgia and Vietnam field trips, the Misunderstood campaign, and finding community in a city that can feel lonely
Lienus, BA International Relations and Development Studies alumnus, University of Westminster
Part of the Inside Westminster anniversary series marking ten years of the Democratic Education Network.
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How did you first come into contact with DEN?
Farhang approached me, challenged me, and connected me with some really amazing people in my degree program. Those people fundamentally shaped my time in London and beyond. Thank you.
Which DEN activities have you taken part in?
I went on two field trips with DEN, to Georgia and to Vietnam. Both of them helped me experience my degree from different angles, and both of them let me connect with fellow students much more deeply. I gained some very important people in my life along the way, and that alone was a huge personal benefit.
I was also part of the “Misunderstood” campaign, and of the DEN conference and editing team, though I quickly realised that writing and editing, in particular, were not for me.
Was there a moment at DEN that has stayed with you?
Learning to look beyond, to find different ways to look at problems.
What aspects of DEN have had the biggest impact on you?
Doing things in life that inspire and interest me. DEN was a place to explore and pursue things I was passionate about, and it taught me that I should never do things just for the sake of a job. I need passion and purpose behind my work.
How has DEN helped you develop personally?
It helped me find friends during my studies, in a city where it is easy to feel lonely, because it is so anonymous and so large.
Has DEN helped you with employability or professional development?
It helped, to an extent, to fill out my CV, even though my career path has since taken a very different direction from what I did at DEN. What DEN did give me, though, was the experience of being faced with challenging, real-life problems and having to solve them. That was much closer to actual working life than anything else I did at university.
What is one thing DEN has given you that you would have struggled to find elsewhere?
A sense of community. That was hard to find at university.
What advice would you give to students thinking of joining?
Just do something you are passionate about. That is what helped me the most, and it is what has kept me from losing joy in my working life.
What would you say to a colleague at another university?
That it was one of the things that made Westminster stand out.
Should DEN do anything differently in the next decade?
Back when I was involved with DEN, a single professor was a major driving force and a fundamental part of the group. It was hard to picture DEN without him. I hope the task of running DEN is now shared among wider hands to secure its future.
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Photo caption: “I need passion and purpose behind my work.”
