Introducing two of our new students from Bangladesh and China

In this interview, Sandiza and Yu, two new students of the Master in Global Development, discuss their distinct academic journeys and how these have shaped their passion for global development. With Sandiza’s focus on grassroots development and Yu’s background in economics and politics, they bring fresh perspectives, new voices, and a shared passion for addressing global inequalities and achieving social justice.

Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

Sandiza: I grew up in a small village in Bangladesh, where access to opportunities wasn't always easy. My parents were focused on getting all the opportunities for me, so they decided to leave our village and move to a place where I could get more opportunities. My undergrad was in Development Studies. Initially, I wasn't entirely sure why I chose to study development and I went to that program with a little bit of interest, like I was not really into the development sector. I don't even know why I went there, but over my four years of study, I developed a real interest in it. While I learned a lot about theories and concepts, it was during my undergraduate thesis that I truly saw how the development sector functions in the real world, and the global development issues that need to be sorted.

 Yu: I'm from China, and I’ve been focused on the humanities since high school. In China, students choose between two academic tracks: humanities or natural sciences. I opted for the humanities track, which meant I didn’t study subjects like chemistry or physics. I am interested in politics and economy,  so I studied International  Relations for my bachelor’s degree, and that's probably one of the biggest reasons I chose to come here to study this program in Global Development. I completed my bachelor's degree in St. Petersburg, Russia. I’ve always been interested in Russian culture, music, and literature. I read many Russian books and listened to a lot of Russian songs during high school, and that interest drew me to study there.

Why did you choose to study the MSc in Global Development?

Sandiza: Coming from a small village in Bangladesh, I chose to focus my thesis on marginalized communities in rural areas. It was then that I realized development isn’t just about policies and projects—it’s about the people. I learned about grassroots development, and the idea of focusing on the needs of people from the bottom-up, rather than the top-down. This idea really interested me and motivated me to be part of the development sector. Later, I had the opportunity to visit the Rural Development Academy in Bangladesh, a government institute focused on rural development. This visit reinforced my commitment to working with people and making a difference. Also, since childhood, I have always had this ambition of going abroad for higher studies. With my parents’ constant support, I thought, why not learn from the best place? That’s when I applied to the University of Copenhagen. Studying here has been a dream come true.

Yu: I chose Denmark because it's one of the richest countries in the world, with some of the highest levels of human development. Coming from China, where the Gini coefficient is high—meaning there's a wide gap between the very rich and the very poor—I wanted to see how a society like Denmark, and Scandinavian countries in general, operates. As for choosing this program, I’m passionate and keen on addressing poverty and helping to make the world a better place. So I felt this program was the perfect fit for me, especially after watching a video online featuring an American student talking about life in Copenhagen. He made the city and the experience sound so interesting, and that played a big role in my decision to come here.

What excites you the most about the program? What are you looking forward? 

Sandiza: I really enjoy doing research, and here we're learning advanced-level research techniques, which is something I was really looking forward to. Now that we're actually doing it, it's really exciting for me. I like the two courses we have right now; in the Applied Research Methods course, I have been enjoying working with tools like Stata and, for example, yesterday the professor introduced us to NVivo for qualitative research in development. I am also excited about Bolivia. I have some research experience, but this time it feels different—it's taking me out of my comfort zone, and I believe it's going to be an amazing experience. We’re going to make mistakes, but we’re also gonna learn a lot along the way. There’s a quote from Professor Henrik that I loved: “It’s not going to be easy, but it’s going to be worth it.” I’ve even written it down in my notebook as a source of motivation.

Yu: For me, the most interesting part is connecting the theories we’re learning in global politics to real-life situations. We're going to Bolivia, and I assume we’ll encounter a lot of poverty and inequality there. I’m excited to see how we can apply the theories we’ve learned in class to these real-world challenges. What makes this even more relevant is the focus on research methods here.

How has your experience been so far?

Sandiza: It's been great! One thing I want to mention is that this is my first time leaving my country, and I really appreciate the education system here compared to back home. Another thing I love is the diversity of international students in our class. There's so much variety, and when the professor discusses something, we get different perspectives that wouldn’t be possible without such a diverse group. That’s one of the things I value about our program and its curriculum, it’s the best. I also love the environment here—it's very education-friendly. And our classmates do it all. For example, they'll be out partying tonight, and the next morning, they're back in class with the big assignments done and engaging in discussions. I admire that balance, and I enjoy the culture here. Another thing I’ve found interesting is that I can study topics from a different perspective. For example, in my bachelor's degree, we studied a lot about colonialism, but here, I have been learning from the other side of it. Back home, we often learned about what the Global North is doing, but here, I’m seeing things from another angle. It’s been fascinating to compare these different viewpoints.

Yu: My experience has been great as well, and people are generally very nice. Academically, it's been fun. I really enjoy studying these courses, especially the one on global politics. As for the other course, well, I mentioned before that I hadn’t studied much math in the past, so all these topics are completely new to me. But global politics is definitely the course I find the most interesting. We get to study real-life case studies, try to solve problems, and learn the theories behind them.

What areas of global development are you most passionate about? Why? 

Sandiza: I would like to focus on research, specifically on inequality issues and public policy. Particularly when it comes to grassroots development—what people actually need versus what the government is doing. There’s often a big gap between the two. I’m particularly interested in that aspect, and I think more focus should be placed on it, especially in South Asian countries. 

Yu: I like political economy, so for example, conflicts between different parties over resources. I'm very interested in that.