“I want to learn everything I can and take it home to my own country.”
Serbian native Janja Jankovic sees her degree in International Relations as a way to fulfil her passion for education.
I knew I wanted to study something related to diplomacy.
Where I’m from in Serbia things are quite old fashioned and conservative. I wanted to meet open-minded people from different backgrounds and cultures. I first visited London two years ago and I came across LSBU while wandering around. I told myself that one day I would study here and here I am—it’s a dream come true.
When I chose international relations, it was with the idea of working in the field of education, not politics. I want to learn everything I can from the developed countries of the world and take these things home to my own country. There’s no better place in the world to study international relations than a cosmopolitan city like London.
In the course we look at how we might influence the future.
We study how the modern world works and is organised, and how it could work. There is a broad spectrum of subjects, including politics, economics and the development of economies, and the question of power and how it’s distributed in society.
We engage in lots of discussions and debates. With students from different ethnic and cultural backgrounds, we learn from one another all the time. I often come into class with a specific mindset and it completely changes once I hear what everyone else has to say.
I’m not used to learning in such well-equipped classrooms and on different platforms. It’s a challenge but this is the best experience of my life so far. In the beginning I found it hard to speak up in class, but my professor has really supported me and I’ve gained a lot of confidence.
From the start, LSBU made me feel like I belong.
I love the teaching methods and the students. This a very open-minded environment and people want to hear what you have to say. I feel increasingly at home in London, too. The culture of the city is great and I’m spending a lot of time in the museums, galleries and theatres.
Since I’m new here, I got a job as a student ambassador to meet new people and get involved. I’ve also joined several clubs.
I have lots of plans for the future.
When I graduate I’d like to do a master’s and give myself time to decide which area to focus on next. I might look for a job in an NGO or a school. I’m currently passionate about education; people have the right to educate themselves. Eventually I’d like to establish a non-profit organisation to give scholarships so that students can study at the university of their choice.