The new Global Development study board
Global Development recently announced the appointment of its new study board members: Marta Dal Farra, Pippa Watson, and Erika Wu. From diverse backgrounds, each member brings a unique narrative to the representation of this master program. Between coffee, we delved into their personal stories and discussed their perspectives on the University, shedding light on the changes they envision and hope to implement.
Marta was born in Italy, and previously did her Bachelor in Verona - the city of Romeo and Juliet - in Business Administration and started this master after a gap year in which she travelled a bit around the world. Pippa is from London, she finished her Bachelor in Geography at Queen Mary University in June this year, and quickly after that moved to Copenhagen. Erika comes all the way from Los Angeles and studied Global Studies at UC Santa Barbara. She did her exchange at the University of Copenhagen a couple years ago and fell in love with the city, so she took the decision to come back.
When asked about the reasons to apply for the MSc in Global Development, all of them carried a different reason and story. Pippa did some consulting in London that made her feel interested in socio-economic dynamics and studying them further. She didn’t really considered doing a Master, but she came across KU and the Global Development master – so she applied. Her bachelor was on human geography, and she always wanted to work in the NGO field or in some kind of humanitarian development consulting.
Marta´s main reason to apply was her passion about sustainability issues, climate change and CO2 emissions, and her eagerness to do a bit more in regards of this field. She had some experience working abroad in the Global South, so she wanted to learn more about it and dive into development theories. She shares with Pippa that they both wanted to go abroad for studying, as it meant growing both academically and personally.
In contrast, Erika applied to many programs all of them oriented to international relations, and this was the only one that was more focused on research and stood out for her. She was appealed by the freedom to choose the electives in the third semester. All of them thought that this master was a good chance to push themselves to learn more about economics and data science – which up to day has been hard, but rewarding when they finally understand theories and concepts that were too complicated for them before.
The most relevant thing the three of them have in common is that they are the new faces at the study board representing Global Development students. When asked about their motivation, Marta indicated that she already had experience being the representative during her bachelor and that she really liked taking responsibilities to help people that are less organized and trying to face potential problems before they become a reality. She also pointed out that when teachers and students come together, it’s easier to find better solutions. For Pippa it was her first time doing something like this, but she expressed that she is quite an “opinionated person” and that she has many ideas to make things better – so she decided to put them to work! Erika on the other hand recognized that she has a hard time dealing with conflict and maybe hurting someone’s feelings, but that she has become more confrontational when is needed. Especially for education, she indicated, is important to speak up when it’s necessary and make changes if it’s not working for students.
Finally, when asked about what specific changes they would like to see at the University, they all agreed that there is a need for more organization. For example, it would be very beneficial for international students to have a calendar for all the academic year so that people can organize the travels back to their countries or just so that they are aware of Danish national holidays. In addition, they pointed at the need for more communication between professors and departments so that classes and exams don’t overlap. Marta, Pippa and Erika agreed that a key priority in their role as representatives will be advocating for a balance between academic commitments, student jobs and a personal life. They believe that the volume of required readings is incompatible with maintaining a student job and enjoying leisure time.