Hey Alisa, can you tell me about your background?
Hi, I’m Alisa and I’m from Germany. Originally, I moved to the Netherlands to do a Bachelor in Political Science at the University of Amsterdam. In this programme, I specialised in international relations. I have an inherent interest in different countries, cultures, and the relations between them, which is what led me to this field of study in the first place. Previously, I also spent a year in New Zealand during high school and an exchange semester at Sciences Po in Paris. I graduated from my Bachelor in the summer of 2023.
So, what was your motivation to apply to the HCSS internship programme?
While I enjoyed studying and the academic environment this put me in, I sometimes felt that my university education was quite theoretical, lacked practical applicability. I was very interested in the things I learned, but I didn’t know well what I could do with them, and I also didn’t have a particular area of expertise. Before specialising further with a Master’s degree, I therefore wanted to gain practical experience that would allow me to connect my knowledge more to current political issues. HCSS seemed like the ideal place for this – and it has proven 100% true. As a think tank on geopolitical and security affairs, it sits at the intersection of academia, policy-making and the broader society and investigates many of the most pressing topics in the world today.
Interesting. Could you describe the typical work of an intern?
The work at HCSS is so varied that it is difficult to describe a ‘typical’ work day. Interns get allocated to ongoing projects and are an integral part of their execution. During my time here, I have worked on a wide variety of issues, ranging from geopolitical and geoeconomic ties between the Indo-Pacific and Europe, organised crime, and the future of hybrid threats, to coercive diplomacy. Exploring such different topics has allowed me to cement my interest in a particular field (the Indo-Pacific) and figure out in which direction I want to take my career.
In general, the work that you do as an intern can contribute to any stage of a project, including generating ideas, reviewing literature, collecting data, or even writing parts of a report, while being guided by a senior researcher. I particularly enjoyed that you get quite some autonomy and responsibility from the start and that your opinion is always valued. Sometimes, you even get to join events and meetings with other organisations, during which you see how they go about their work and view different topics.
You mentioned events, what opportunities outside of the “usual” work are there for interns?
Of course, an internship is a learning experience. HCSS encourages this and offers different opportunities to expand your skill set. There are, first, a series of intern trainings, in which you learn the basics of think tank research. We even had an introduction to coding, which I found particularly interesting. All the interns secondly get assigned a mentor, with whom you have monthly lunches. This is a great opportunity to discuss future plans and get guidance on how to achieve them from someone who has been on the same route as you.
What would you say is your favourite moment from the internship?
It is difficult to pick just one moment out of 10 great months of working at HCSS (I extended my internship for four more months). I am grateful for the many opportunities that this internship has given me, among them having my name published on several reports and visiting NATO Headquarters in Brussels. But what I value even more is the time I spent with my inspiring colleagues. Everyone has their own experiences, perspectives and ideas that have sparked my curiosity and raised new questions – something that will stick with me way beyond my internship. Most of all, I formed a great relationship with my amazing mentor who provided so much advice, help, and, simply, fun.
What have you learned/What do you take away from this internship?
I came to HCSS amongst other things to figure out what I would like to specialise in. This goal I definitely achieved – and already gained a lot of knowledge in the field. I learned which questions are worth asking about developments in the Indo-Pacific and what we need to pay attention to in the upcoming years. Beyond that, I worked on a range of interesting topics that broadened my horizon, and I greatly improved my research and writing skills.
Generally, I would say that being in such a smart environment as HCSS has made me much more aware of all the things I don’t know. For example, the work of the DataLab has opened my eyes to the many possibilities data science affords to social science research. I leave with an eagerness to explore all kinds of topics and state-of-the-art research methods much more in the future.
What are your next steps?
It’s time for me to go back to university and get that Master’s degree that I’ve been talking about. Undoubtedly aided by my work at HCSS, I got accepted into the University of Oxford, where I will be for at least the next two years!
This interview was conducted by HCSS Communications & Events Assistant, Stephanie Govaerts
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