Success Story: Alexandra Taskaeva, Politics and Security '2021

I remember it was a huge change for me to come to study at the OSCE Academy as it was a completely different environment from the university I had used to study at before. Though I struggled for a little while with getting acquainted with the new environment, I am so thankful to have this experience in my life.
After graduating from the programme of Politics & Security at the OSCE Academy, I started my career journey through a lot of internships trying to find the field I want to devote my life. Having started from an internship that was necessary for graduation from the Academy that was at the China and Central Asia Studies Centre at KIMEP University in Kazakhstan, I was sure that I would continue working on research. Following internships at the Association for Diplomatic Training and Studies in Washington D.C. and the Centre for Policy Research in New Delhi only accentuated this idea. However, an accidental application for a position of a DHR Intern at the UNFPA for Eastern Europe and Central Asia Regional Office proved my plans wrong. I had never considered the HR field as a potential career for myself until I took that role and ended up enjoying all the HR processes.
I decided to challenge myself to grow personally and professionally when I got an internship offer from the UNFPA, EECARO. When I started my internship, the office that I was working for experienced a lot of problems due to the small number of people in the team and the conflict in Ukraine. I was passionate about performing more tasks than were initially announced. From interview processes to the management of the regional learning budget, I had the chance to show myself working hard and accepting all the challenges that occurred to help me do my best and achieve all the goals. There was a lot I had learned about HR, but I also had the chance to use the tools and resources learned from the OSCE Academy as well as the strong work ethic obtained from there so that I knew I could trust myself, my abilities, and my aptitude.
Currently, I am very much enjoying my career path. I am now in the process of moving to Kuwait as I got an offer for the position of HR Officer from one of the American universities there. My favorite aspects of the HR field include interacting with and meeting a lot of inspiring people and seeing my efforts pay off and problems being solved in real-time. A collaborative environment also reminds me of my time at the OSCE Academy: people share and learn from each other including their mistakes and constantly develop themselves.
Without the OSCE Academy, I don’t think I would have had the skills and knowledge to be successful as this experience is directly connected to the achievements I have got now. I think everything goes back to where that foundation came from that shaped me into who I am now. Also, I am thankful for the people I have met there as some of them taught me to be strong and never give up and others taught me to be kind and sympathetic toward others. I had the chance to help some of my classmates with job opportunities and pieces of advice when I had the chance to. In addition, some of my classmates helped me a lot in different aspects. I want to wish all the students to be helpful to each other and never give up. Consider all the opportunities that are provided to you as you never know where you are going to end up after your graduation. Good luck and enjoy the OSCE Academy!

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