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‘My Time at HSE Is Over, but the Adventures Continue’
@HSE ALUMNI CENTRE
In 2020, the HSE Alumni Centre created a community of 5,000 active alumni. Wherever they were — in Moscow, London, Italy, or New York — they were brought together by meetings, Zoom parties, lectures, cooking classes, quizzes and, of course, the annual HSE University Day. Below, some of the alumni talk about the main projects of the HSE Alumni and how to stay in the HSE University world after graduation.
Finding friends among strangers
Alumnus, Faculty of Humanities, IT-specialist, HSE University Ambassador in Sweden
I’ve been living in Stockholm for four years, and before the alumni movement began, I didn’t realise how many HSE University alumni lived nearby. When the Alumni Centre’s International Chat channel was created, I posted there, and I was very happy to learn that I’m not alone in this large northern city. We have a group of 16 people and we communicate regularly.
Sweden is a country where most activities take place outdoors, especially in the spring and summer. There are a lot of cycle paths in this city, and because I’m involved with triathlon, I started getting my mates riding. At first we cycled 20-30km and then we started to ride to other cities. So, my time at HSE is over but the adventures continue! In addition, once a month we organise a book club (the skills we gained in seminar discussions have been useful here!)
When you become an ambassador, you acquire a sense of responsibility – to be more proactive, to meet, talk, and discuss HSE University. We share the same alma mater, and we are comfortable and interested in communicating with each other. It’s really great that the University is making such a community; every year there are more alumni, and many of them come to Sweden.
An HSE University Ambassador is a community leader for alumni living abroad and an active member of the HSE University community. The aim of HSE Alumni Ambassadors is to promote the development of business contacts and friendships between alumni of different years living in other countries. To find alumni in your region, you can participate in a community chat.
Helping others
Alumna, Faculty of Communications, Media, and Design, mentor, co-founder and development director at the Yoshi Media creative agency
When the Alumni Centre launched its mentoring programme, I decided to get involved, as I had recently realised the importance of having mentors in my life, and not just in my professional life. In order to develop and grow quickly, you need an outside perspective, preferably from someone who has managed to achieve the result you seek. Moreover, as a mentor, you develop yourself. I think that’s a perfect win-win.
I meet my mentees once a week on Zoom. We share our insights and news with each other, and review the weekly assignments they get from me. For example, we build a Dilts pyramid or discuss current job openings in media, and then compare that with what a student wants to do and already knows how to do.
I’d like to help my mentees figure out their areas of interest and take a step forward in the profession, or, if someone has already had marketing experience, increase their income. Many students think that a mentor is something of a ‘magic pill’, that they know the secret, will pass it on, and everything will work out. But this is not the case, one needs to work hard.
The HSE Mentoring Programme connects interested students with alumni to discuss issues of professional and personal development. Students learn about the labour market and a possible career track in a particular field and see a positive example of how to achieve their goals and overcome difficulties. And mentors share their knowledge and experience, and find employees.
Experiencing HSE University
Alumnus, Faculty of World Economy and International Affairs, Head of Alternative Content MyBook, podcaster, HSE Alumni Awards 2020 laureate
Over the course of this year, we’ve been watching the titanic work of the University to strengthen ties with alumni. There is no need to even mention the weekly events held by the Alumni Association; it is enough to focus on one major event that was bound to fail because of the pandemic and the inability to meet live —HSE Alumni Awards.
This is usually an ultra-stylish festive event where you would put on a tuxedo or an evening dress, stock up on a selection of engaging stories, and enjoy the company of distinguished alumni from different years at the year’s best dinner.
There is no chance that this atmosphere can be preserved and made to work in a remote mode. However, we succeeded! Despite the fact that instead of the tuxedos, we were in HSE hoodies sitting in front of webcams, the sense of belonging to something overwhelmingly significant made it a wonderful evening that I consider myself fortunate to be a part of.
The HSE Alumni Awards (formerly ‘The Highest Calibre’) was established by the Business Club of Alumni in 2007 and has become an enduring HSE University tradition. Alumni are recognized at the event for achievements in science, the arts, business, social, media and other areas.
To be honest, I’ve always known and felt that, unlike other universities, the HSE University alumni community, our community, is much more connected at an informal level. Almost every time you meet an HSE University graduate, you immediately have something to talk about, a connection. It’s so nice to know that this has acquired a formal character; not the kind of thing that makes plants wither in an hour, but the other kind — creative, flexible and proud, the way the spirit of an alumni community should be.
Enjoying special privileges
Alumna, Faculty of Law, active participant of the Alumni Centre events
My time as a student at HSE University was a happy one, and our meetings now, after graduation, help to maintain this positive bond. The projects organised by the Alumni Centre are very welcome: useful lectures, networking, cooking classes, and excursions around Pokrovka.
It’s great to be able to go back to HSE University. In addition, the Alumni Card offers discounts in coffee shops and on various educational platforms.
The HSE Alumni card grants access to all buildings of HSE University — Moscow, as well as an opportunity to participate in loyalty programmes from cafes, online courses, shops, and other University partners. If you haven’t got a card yet, you can apply for it here.
Celebrating success and supporting each other
Alumnus, Faculty of World Economy and International Affairs, President of Russian Middle East Association, HSE Alumni Awards 2020 winner
I currently work at the HSE University School of International Regional Studies of the Faculty of World Economy and International Affairs, dealing in international affairs. I learned from my colleagues that I had been nominated for the ‘International Leadership’ category. Of course, it is a shame that this year we did not manage to get together in person, because every year the award has taken place in a festive setting, but the main thing was that it actually happened, at least in an online format.
The Alumni Centre has an important mission — to bring people together from different faculties and different years of graduation. We have a lot of successful graduates, and, for the younger ones, this is a great opportunity to find kindred spirits in the right field and really grow. We’re very supportive of each other, we chat in Telegram, and if someone has a question, they can write there, and in literally 30 seconds, they will get over 50 solutions and recommendations.
In addition to my work at HSE University, I run the Russian Middle East Association, which was created to foster interaction between representatives of the public in Russia and those in the Middle East. We discuss the culture, politics, history and economy of these countries and, of course, HSE University students and teachers take an active part in our activities. The Association has about 5-6 team members, all graduates of our University. So HSE University is a whole family.