In March 2025, the Governance of Migration and Diversity (GMD) Student Board 24-25 hosted the annual Career Event at the International Institute of Social Studies (ISS). With GMD alumni and five practitioners from various institutions in attendance, more than 60 GMD students participated to explore careers in the field of migration governance and gain valuable insights into putting their passion for the topic of migration into practice.
Words by Daniel Giménez San José
Moderated by the GMD Student Board's Daniel Gimenez and Alina Akhtar and hosted by Emilia Noth, the event was structured around two panel discussions.
The first panel, Bridging Sectors: Policy, Research & Legal Support, brought together speakers from the Ministry of Justice and Security, the Clingendael Institute, and VluchtelingenWerk. The conversation was extremely engaging, as the diversity of professional backgrounds allowed for different perspectives when it came to navigating the uncertainties of the field, and approaching migration from their respective organizations. Despite this, the speakers agreed on several points, such as the importance of being proactive and contacting people when looking for a job, as well as the importance of networking. They also discussed the importance of specialization, whether in a geographical area, a discipline like law, or language skills, to enhance the job profile in the field.
The second panel, From Advocacy to Action: Careers in NGOs & Migration, featured speakers from Justice & Peace Netherlands and Oxfam Novib. The discussion focused on the speakers' personal career paths and how both of them had secured their current positions after doing internships. Sydney Cohee, an alumna of the GMD Master's program, reflected on how the Master had helped her enhance her critical skills and how she tries to incorporate these in her current role.
Following the event, participants moved to the ISS Butterfly Bar, where students and speakers engaged in informal conversations. Some asked about internship opportunities, while others were curious to learn more about the speakers' daily responsibilities. The atmosphere was warm and open, so much so that a few of the speakers stayed until the very end!
As the Student Board, we were thrilled to see the event come to life and grateful for the insights shared. We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to all the speakers for their enthusiasm and openness, to GMD project officer Alex, as without him, the event would not have been possible, and overall, to the GMD program for giving us this unique chance to organise such an important event.
We hope that GMD students can take the inspiration and confidence that the speakers provided them with - as they begin to shape their own professional journeys in the field of migration and diversity.
Special thanks to the speakers' contribution:
- Ira van der Zaal (Ministry of Justice and Security),
- Anouk Pronk (Clingendael Institute)
- Veronique Ehlen (VluchtelingenWerk Nederland)
- Sydney Cohee (Oxfam Novib)
- Kirsten de Mik (Justice & Peace Netherlands)
Thank you to all the GMD students who attended, ISS for providing the venue, and the GMD student board members who made the event happen:
Alina Akhtar, Andrine Strand, Daniel Gimenez, Emilia Noth, Gyon Lagrand, Luca Beres, Maud Stragier, Rachna Rai, Timon Barth, Tommaso Ciocca, and Victoria Chassaigne Vera
