Swiss Review 4/2019

Swiss Review / July 2019 / No.4 24 A Swiss Abroad talks about studying medicine in Switzerland educationsuisse advises young Swiss Abroad who come to Switzerland to study. Katia Steinfeld is one of them. She recounts her experience of studying at the University of Lausanne. “I have Swiss and Brazilian roots, and I grew up in Rio de Janeiro. I began my medical studies there. I contacted educationsuisse because I was looking for away to continuemy studies outside Brazil. The organisation suppliedme with infor- mation about studyingmedicine in Switzerland and assistedmewithmy grant application inmy canton of origin. The University of Lausanne (UNIL) partially recognised my study time in Brazil, whichmeant I could continuemy studies in Switzerland in 2016. The first six months in Switzerland were dif- ficult. I first had to get used to the lifestyle, cli- mate and being alone. I was also worried about the requirements of the university andmy finan- cial resources. However, the quality of the teaching and the feeling of freedommotivatedme anewevery day. I enjoyed exploring the culture and country that is alsomine, and building newrelationships and strong friendships, which gave me the support that I needed. I also threw myself into extracurricular ac- tivities that were important to me. For example, I took part in a competition advertised by the UNIL and the Clinton Foundation in 2017. I was selected to represent the University at the Clin- ton Global Initiative University in Boston (USA). Thanks to this competition, I was able to get my project Escolhares off the ground. It has now grown into an association that has organised opthalmological screenings and supplied more than 2,000 students in deprived districts of Rio de Janeiro with spectacles between 2016 and 2019. Recently, I took part in the UNIL World’s Challenge Challenge competition. My team’s project, EcoBlock in Burkina Faso, won the first internal selection phase. On an academic level, I am continuously as- tounded by the wide variety of courses and in- ternships on offer at UNIL. I had the opportunity to discover the world of research, primarily dur- ingmyMaster’s degree in the field of fundamen- tal neuroscience. These experiences changedmy future plans and led me to where I am today: planning a PhD. To sum up, I can honestly say that my move to Switzerland contributed significantly to my personal development. I have rediscovered my roots and now understand a part of my iden- tity better as a result. I have also gained in con- fidence. I have become more independent, been able to establish relationships and de- velop new prospects for the future – all the while completing first-class medical training. Therefore, I would like to encourage other young Swiss Abroad to take up such opportu- nities.” Experience reports fromyoung SwissAbroad are regularly published on the Facebook page of educationsuisse, andonwww.educationsuisse.ch . (RG) OSA news The future is in sight The Congress of the Swiss Abroad in Montreux from 16 to 18 August 2019 will address major questions about the future, together with leading experts. The Organisation of the Swiss Abroad (OSA) has lined up prominent speakers on the core topic of the Congress –“What will tomorrow’s world hold”. Francesco Pisano intends to focus on the big picture in Montreux. The Director of the Li- brary of the United Nations will address Agenda 2030, or rather the “programme to safeguard the future of the planet”. And renowned Profes- sor in Applied Climatology at the University of Neuchâtel, Martine Rebetez, will give a talk on the globally relevant topic of climate change. What will tomorrow’s working world hold? That is also part of the big question about the future. Pierre-Yves Maillard, the president of the Swiss Federation of Trade Unions, will address it in his capacity as the top represent- ative of employees in Switzerland. Other speakers will include Cristina Gaggini, the Director of the Western Switzerland branch of the federation of Swiss business, economie­ suisse. What will the politics of the future be like? It will be shaped and above all challenged by digitalisation, a topic that Matthias Stürmer knows extremely well. He is the head of the Research Centre for Digital Sustainability at the University of Bern. The politics of the future will also probably be more influenced by think tanks than by the established parties. Salomé Vogt (Think Tank Foraus) und Laura Zimmermann (Operation Libero), will talk about this vision of politically-minded young people at the Congress. (OSA) educationsuisse, Studying in Switzerland, Alpenstrasse 26, 3006 Bern, Switzerland. Telephone: +41 31 356 61 04 , E-mail: info@educationsuisse.ch, www.educationsuisse.ch Katia Steinfeld. Photo zvg Further information on the Congress: ogy.de/montreux2019 Registration deadline: 26 July 2019.