Alumni Stories

Something I didn’t expect before beginning the PEACE program was just how multi-disciplinary the field of peace & conflict is, a factor which widened my career prospects considerably. TAPRI’s emphasis on openness also extended into the classroom: professors encouraged questioning and critical thinking, creating a supportive classroom environment where students could learn by engaging with the materials in their own way. In-class discussions prompted open dialogue which allowed me to learn not just from the professors, but my peers as well. I’m incredibly grateful to have done my masters in such an open and supportive environment!

Before moving to Finland, my career focused on working with the Comprehensive System of Truth, Justice, Reparation, and Non-repetition in Colombia. However, it was only when I joined the PEACE programe that I realized that there is a lot to learn from the communities affected by armed conflict, not just in Colombia but all over the world, and that their agency must have a relevant place in academia . The MA programme allowed me to meet amazing people and to find commonalities among the differences. This supportive atmosphere at TAPRI encouraged me to continue my doctoral studies where I aim to highlight the contribution of Colombian women in peace and conflict studies.

I attended the PEACE programme as a second masters degree in addition to my journalism one in the hopes of widening the scope of my understanding on ongoing world affairs. Not only did I succeed in this but I also improved my English language skills and made friends for live. After graduation my degrees have allowed me to work as a news journalist specialised in foreign reporting at the Finnish News Agency. After war broke in Ukraine, I have never been more grateful of my decision to attend the PEACE programme as it has helped enormously my understanding of war and the resolution of conflicts.

The Peace program allowed me to gain insights into various research fields and taught me a very comprehensive and complex understanding of international peace and conflict processes. I especially enjoyed the variety of different study options as well as the freedom of choice in defining my research interest for the master’s thesis. Additionally, the program allowed us to get in touch with notable scholars as well as visit Finnish actors engaged in conflict management and peace mediation. The international community in Tampere is pretty well connected and I was able to meet students from a multitude of cultural and educational backgrounds.

In my opinion the MA programme at Tampere University is truly international, pragmatic and of high quality. For me it was highly beneficial for my career as during my studies, I completed an internship at the UNDP Brussels office and this together with the Masters degree opened many professional doors. Since then I have been working with topics related to sustainability and administration. Currently I work as a Senior Specialist at the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment of Finland. Even though my tasks are not directly linked to peace and security, my studies at Tampere offered me a multidisciplinary perspective and my Master Thesis was about security management in the public sector. I highly recommend studies at Tampere University!

I was thrilled that I have found the MA in Peace, Mediation, and Conflict Research at the University of Tampere and got admitted there. This program showed me different ways of studying, including a lot of practical work, essay writing, lecture diaries, digital platforms for education, and opportunities for internship in TAPRI. I like the teachers’ critical thinking, always questioning established narratives; I would call them true critical thinkers. Focus on the qualitative methods was suitable for me as well as a variety of interesting courses from mediation, non-western IR approaches, environmental peacebuilding, and peace photography to many others. 

I graduated from the PEACE programme in 2015, and have had an interesting and diverse international career in the public and charity sectors since then. My earlier roles were very connected to my studies – for instance, working in civilian crisis management in Finland, and parliamentary meditation in Brussels. In more recent years, having moved to London, I’ve shifted to researching and designing user-centered products and services for the UK Government, the NHS, and Action for Children – a national children’s charity. At first glance, user-centered design doesn’t seem that connected to peace and conflict. But there are so many similarities in the methodologies and approaches I studied at TAPRI. There, I focused on bottom-up peacebuilding initiatives – ways to build inclusive, positive peace by really listening to the needs of those who have lived experience of a conflict. Bottom-up, inclusive design is what I do in my job every day.