What was your experience like as President of GISA?
Serving as GISA President was very demanding but also rewarding. At any given moment, I was managing student concerns, ongoing projects, institutional relationships, and attending to the day-to-day operations. There is a lot of behind-the-scenes work to hold things together quietly: navigating relationships with the administration, running election cycles, seeing to Board functions, and updating governing documents. It stretched my capacity, but also considerably strengthened my muscle for diplomacy and leadership. It also deepened my understanding of how institutions work and how people can meaningfully shape them.
How have you connected to the student community?
From the very beginning of my term, I felt like I was very visible to the student body and people from all corners of our community reached out and through many different channels. I also tried to attend events on and off campus, however, the interactions I found most meaningful were the one-on-one meetings and conversations because those exchanges allowed for the kind of depth and candor that larger settings could not, and they gave me a much more honest picture of what students were actually experiencing. My weekly office hours were well-utilised throughout the year, which I was glad to see! It signalled to me that people felt comfortable seeking out that space, and it became probably the most valuable touchpoint I had for staying connected to my fellow students.
What impact do you think GISA had on the student community over this past academic year?
I believe GISA made several concrete and lasting impacts this year. The formalisation of a dedicated DEI position on the Board was a structural breakthrough that will have long-term implications for how student concerns around diversity, equity, and inclusion are represented and addressed. On the advocacy side, our efforts on building pathways towards more diverse course materials and faculty diversity through our “Decolonize the Curriculum” initiative out of the Vice President of Master's office, improving PhD researcher conditions, and critically examining accessibility conditions laid important groundwork even where outcomes remain in progress. Operationally, I would say we were quite efficient with supporting student-led events and activities, reducing barriers and having strong capacity from our Events and Treasurer offices. Our specialised committees also shone with innovative, quality, and directed programming. Finally, the launch of both the GISA Office and the Quiet Room gave students and the Board more ownership over usable spaces on campus, which is notable because space is a valuable resource here at the MDP. These few examples reflect a Board that was engaged in governance as well as everyday student life.
What was the highlight of the 2025-2026 academic year for GISA?
One highlight was getting started on the Centennial celebrations as we had the opportunity to lay the foundation for two student projects that will be realised next year. The main one is our 100 Years, 100 Actions project which will be documenting one hundred unique actions or projects initiated and carried out by our students around Geneva. The aim of this is to position students at the center of the celebration and show what we do and how we create positive impact in Geneva through actions that fall under the themes of knowledge for impact, social impact, or sustainability. I believe this is a great and meaningful way to reflect on what it means to be a student at the Institute and in Geneva at this point in time, and I really look forward to seeing the projects next year. Bonus highlight: the process of securing the DEI Board position!
As your time as not only as President of GISA comes to an end, but as a Master’s student does as well, how do you feel about your time in Geneva? What’s next for you?
Now that I am approaching the end of my time at the Institute, I am struck by how quickly it passed but I am content that I got immersed in the experience, challenged myself, and put in my all. Overall, I feel a lot of gratitude for coming here and committing to this chapter in Geneva because I grew as a thinker and as a professional. Writing my dissertation on resource governance was a really engaging and stimulating experience, but there were so many other topics I would have loved to explore further. As for what comes next, I am still on the job market and approaching that uncertainty with openness and curiosity.