Vaia Mesitsa

Portretfoto Vaia Mesitsa
It's a place you feel welcome and a place where you are free to think and express yourself.
Name
Vaia Mesitsa
Programme
Borders, Migration and Justice
Country of previous education
Greece
Study start date
Previous education
BA Sociology, University of Crete

Vaia Mesitsa is a Master's student Borders, Migration and Justice.

'What I like most about my study program is that the courses are there to help you with your thesis. You can choose electives if you need more knowledge related to a topic or theme. You familiarize yourself with the ongoing debate and you reflect on your own views so that you can choose where to focus later on. You can change your mind many times before finally deciding, it's a process. We all pass through this and it's beneficial for growth. Many topics and authors that we study I was familiar with due to my sociology background; what is different is the emphasis on the spatial dimension, which I found refreshing and interesting, so I read with excitement most of the readings right from the get-go.

When I started this Master's program, I was pleasantly surprised by the nice atmosphere in class. It's a place you feel welcome and a place where you are free to think and express yourself. As Master's students, we are encouraged to think critically and our contributions in discussions are much appreciated and heard. We are respected as if we are junior colleagues and this gives me the extra motivation to keep improving.

I love my specialisation because it has interesting courses and topics. I am really happy that I am here and I feel the need to keep learning about things that fascinate me. The biggest challenge in this Master's is the pace of work and the workload. It made me more structured and seek more balance because it is easy to get caught up and over-work yourself. The university also offers writing classes and seminars offered by the Writing Lab, as well as support for burnout prevention for whoever needs it, which is great.

My specialisation is on European borders and my thesis is about refugees. Being from Greece, which is a crossroad for mobilities, gave me the opportunity to reflect and be curious about the issues that are related to the refugee experience.

I think that this degree equips you with the necessary theoretical tools and approaches so that you can have a better view of a subject. This way you can choose the view that you think is best for you. Additionally, it gives you the ability to zoom in on an issue that interests you for further research. I will keep passionately investing in my continuous learning in different ways. Learning, as in professional context, but also as an integral part of lifelong growth and development.'