Name: Nura Suleiman

Current job title: Master’s Student in International Law and Settlement of Disputes at the United Nations-Mandated University for Peace in El Rodeo, Costa Rica

Class year: ‘07

Major: International Studies with a concentration on the Middle East, Arabic, and History

 

Where did your interest come from to work in this career?

Since graduating, I’ve worked in Asia, Africa and the Middle East on community-based initiatives.  From farming to micro-finance, health initiatives to education projects, I have learned to be a jack-of-all-trades and master of none.  At the fledgling stages of my career, I am a very proud generalist.  I decided to return to school to pursue my Master’s in something that would enhance my development work—the law and negotiation.  University for Peace is, maybe even more so than Middlebury, one of the most unique places I have been.  Nestled in the mountains outside of San Jose, Costa Rica, UPEACE is a bastion of diversity: 10 Master’s programs and 200 students from over 60 countries.  It’s a place where I have found incredibly like-minded people (your typical think globally, act locally folks) who force me to question every decision and point on both a global and local context.

 

What are typical entry level positions in your field and what does a career path look like?

The great thing about the University for Peace is the variety of paths that follow.  I’m looking at mainly field positions with the United Nations, local governments, and sponsoring governments on four continents.  To say that there’s a “typical” job wouldn’t do my program justice.  A couple months from now, I could find myself working with women’s initiatives in the Congo, post-regime changes in Egypt or, and hopefully not, on my mother’s couch (though I do love my mother and she does have a splendid couch).

 

How did you find the current position you have?

After I finished the Peace Corps, I had this elaborate vacation planned—South Africa for two weeks, Barcelona for a week and then a trans-Atlantic cruise home to the East Coast  (I did consult a map, just thought my way was more interesting).  In South Africa, I fell deadly ill with cerebral malaria and ended up canning the whole trip.  Luckily, everything worked out fine and I spent some time on an olive plantation outside of Cape Town recuperating (I swear this is a true story).  There I met a lovely South African woman who told me about the University for Peace and how she thought it would align with my values and career aspirations.  Weeks later, I sent in my application and ended up moving to Costa Rica six months later.

 

How are you using your Middlebury degree?

My Middlebury degree stressed both the beauty and danger in cultural comparison.  The more I travel and work abroad, the more I look for similarities in my workplaces.  Middlebury taught me to critically evaluate these similarities and realize the bias with which I evaluate them.  Thanks to Middlebury, on a “normal” day, I speak four languages (all learned at Midd) and am so thankful for the humility I learned being a senior in beginning French.

 

What experience should a college student obtain to be marketable?

Get out in the field.  Now.  Get on a plane and go somewhere.  In my field, people are looking for raw experience on the ground.  No textbook or algorithm will teach you about project implementation.  You have to live it.

 

What skills do you think a person needs to be successful in your position?

An appreciation for transparency—both in the field and on the books.  Self-motivation—when you’re in the middle of nowhere, there’s not really a boss to answer to and the project certainly won’t finish itself.  Humbleness–we don’t know everything.  Patience—this most of all.

 

What do you like best/least about your work?

I love the unpredictable nature of it.  Every day on a project is different.  I love this nomad lifestyle of spending a couple years in a country, working, and immersing yourself in a new language.  The draw back of that is living storage spaces around the world.

 

What does an average day or week look like for you?

At UPEACE, I’m in class everyday for about four hours.  Classes are on a block system, so I can really delve into a class for a couple weeks and only think about that.  At the end of each class, there’s some kind of evaluation depending on the program.  Weekends are usually spent completing exams, though I have managed to get in a good surf session nearly every weekend.

 

What books, web sites, or other resources should students take advantage of now to learn about the field?

Take advantage of people.  Middlebury students are brilliant and well read.  I’d be foolish to recommend.  My greatest advice is take advantage of the person sitting next to you.

 

What do you think is the next step in your career plan?

I want to go back to the field—ideally somewhere in Sub-Saharan Africa or the Middle East.  I’m very interested in the idea of new governments, both on a legal and humanitarian level and the Middle East is a great place for that.  I’d also like to return to the field and focus on project implementation and closing out projects.