The Arqus Talent Scholarship came to me after three years of searching and applying, again and again, for an opportunity to pursue a master’s degree in Europe. I started out as a diplomacy student, and then found myself working in international economic cooperation and in trade and investment promotion. All the while, I kept turning the same questions over in my mind: the tides of globalisation and deglobalisation rising and falling around us, how we respond to crises that fall outside the traditional dynamics, and how people work and connect with one another in pursuit of a fairer, more inclusive world. The Arqus scholarship and the MA International Development at Maynooth University gave me the space to go looking for answers.

My time on the MA was full of inspiring moments. Every lecture felt like a lively forum on the great development challenges of our day, on equality, conflict and imbalance, and above all on the ideas that might help us meet them. In a classroom with people from more than twenty countries, guided by professors and lecturers who were as experienced as they were warm, I moved through a whole spectrum of feelings. There was the awe at how much knowledge and experience filled the room, the nerves the first time I shared an opinion of my own, the lovely encouragement when that opinion was heard and taken seriously, and finally the closeness and friendship that grew among us all. It was never just a classroom. It was a wonderful place to share and to grow together.

Friends from the MA in International Development programme at Maynooth University

Arqus mobility also carried me to Leipzig, Germany, where I joined classes within the MA Global Studies programme and a summer school on global studies in Bad Hersfeld. That German summer was filled with spirited conversations with classmates from more than ten universities across Europe, with beer and with the buzz of Euro 2024, when we would gather after class to cheer our hearts out for the teams. There were quieter moments too, like our visit to the remains of the old border that once divided East and West Germany, where the memory of war and separation still feels so alive, and where we came to understand a little more deeply the lessons of conflict and the great value of peace and stability.

Some photos from our visit to Point Alpha, where the former border that once divided Germany, ran through

I would be telling a lie, though, if I said it was all bright days. Alongside the joyful hours of learning came real pressure: the research, the assignments, the thesis, and the constant push to keep my work to the highest standard. When the deadlines came crowding in, through many sleepless nights, through all the Irish rain, and through that ache of missing home half a world away, I had my fair share of fragile moments. And yet, having come through all of it, what stays with me most is gratitude. Gratitude for a radiant journey that helped me grow so much, both in my work and as a person, and gratitude for the wonderful companionship of my lecturers, friends at Maynooth, at Leipzig, and most of all at Arqus.

Time flew, and in March 2026, I arrived in Granada for a truly special occasion: the gathering of one big family.

I received my full Arqus European University Alliance scholarship in August 2023 to begin my master’s at Maynooth University. Having finished the programme at the end of 2024 and started a new chapter after graduation, I was overjoyed to take part in a major Arqus gathering after almost two years. It was also my first time meeting in person the dear people I had only ever spoken to by email throughout my Arqus time. Even so, there was not the slightest distance or awkwardness between us. We all felt as though we had known each other for the longest time.

Dr. Anja Hoffmann was the person I looked forward to meeting most of all. She walked alongside me and the other Arqus scholars through the whole journey, offering the most practical and caring support at every turn. Whenever something came up, from planning my mobility to a reference letter for a visa, I would turn to her, and somehow everything found its way to a solution. For me, Dr. Anja Hoffmann stands for the whole team of people behind the Arqus Talent Scholarship Fund, a team I hold in such deep gratitude.

A photo of me with Dr. Anja Hoffmann

Meeting the other staff and fellow scholars, I was once again swept away by the sheer brightness of everyone’s energy and ideas. As we sat together to look back over the road Arqus has travelled, I felt so happy to be even a small part of the community and the larger mission it has been building.

A photo with new friends in the first gathering of Arqus scholars in Granada

Arqus is, without doubt, one of the most beautiful chapters of my life, and I am quite sure the story is not over yet. Like a wheel coming round again, I hope there will be many more chances to stay connected with Arqus and with Maynooth. I have been, I am, and I will go on being an ambassador, ready to share my wonderful experiences with the generations of Arqus students and scholars still to come.