Introduction of Intern: Kirsten Nell

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Get to know PERLA’s intern

I am Kirsten Nell, a 2nd year master’s degree student in Social Science Research specialising in Global and Transnational Sociology at Tampere University. I have been an intern at Perla from May 2024 to September 2024.

What made you interested in PERLA?

During my previous studies I did research on international students during the Covid 19 pandemic. My current research for my master’s thesis looks into the discourse around English language teaching within Finnish education. My background is in sociology and my research interests have always tended to focus on education and youth and thus PERLA was a perfect fit for me. I read up more on PERLA and found that many of the research projects greatly interested me.

What kind of tasks have you done with PERLA?

I have had a wide range of tasks as an intern. I was involved in the organising and running of NYRIS2024. The 16th NYRIS (Nordic Youth Research Symposium) conference ran from the 12th to the 14th of June. I have also been involved in organising the ESPAnet2024 conference from the 28th to the 30th of August. I have had the opportunity to participate in a wide range of events and activities held by PERLA including a media visit, seminar sessions, book launches and project meetings.

What next?

My current plan is to finish writing my thesis and then apply for a PhD program so that I can continue my research journey.