Studying alongside people from all over the world at De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) is helping Mildred Hauck in her work with a humanitarian organisation in South America.
The 27-year-old International Relations MA graduate is the general director of Intiwawa, which fights poverty in the slums of Arequipa, the second largest city in Peru.
Mildred landed the role via an internship at the United Nations (UN) Framework Convention on Climate Change in Germany and a job at the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) in Italy.
She said: "The variety of students at DMU really helps to bring us closer to the multicultural reality we are, and increasingly will be, living in.
"And the classes are a wonderful opportunity to create a space where exchanging similarities and differences between us can clearly enrich and transform our minds.
"My DMU highlights were the fruitful discussions considering the passion and multicultural perspectives of my fellow students.
"Apart from the knowledge I obtained at DMU on international relations and global problems, I broadened my perspective on how I think about these challenges and their solutions.
"This is helping me to better deal with the multicultural and transnational challenges in my daily work."
Born in Argentina and brought up in Germany, Mildred chose to study for her master's in the UK to help her achieve her ambition of working for the UN. She landed her internship in the Strategic Communications Department before graduating in January 2017.
"I followed up on partnerships with the private sector to reduce their carbon footprint and financially support green projects in developing countries," said Mildred. "I quickly learnt that strategic communication was the key to get different stakeholders together and be part of a mission."
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Moving to Italy for a role at EFSA, an agency of the European Union, Mildred worked in the administrative team to support and co-ordinate the work of different scientific areas in the evaluation of the impact of genetic modifications on human health.
"It was highly interesting to get to know the work of a transnational institution that is based on European law and regulation," she said.
Her role with Intiwawa has seen her experience another new and enriching environment.
Mildred said: "This has given me an incomparable amount of responsibility.
"I am now not only gaining a more profound insight on how organisations are built up, but I am also getting a complete overall picture on the macro level of civil activism and organisational development.
"Daily cross-decision making in different areas such as finances, human resources, project management and so on is rapidly increasing my professional know-how but at the same time giving me a great opportunity for personal development and self-management.
"As a director, the biggest learning challenge does not start within the organisation, but within yourself. It is truly amazing to see how a professional experience can actually affect you personally by experiencing your limits and overcoming them."
Posted on Thursday 11 October 2018