The interdisciplinary approach of the department, the combination of theoretical training and practical tools, as well as the contact with instructors who inspired high expectations, helped me develop analytical thinking, a structured way of working, and a deep understanding of the institutions of the European Union. These skills proved crucial both in the design and evaluation of public policies and in the daily collaboration with international bodies. The department did not merely provide me with knowledge; it gave me a way of thinking, confidence, and the foundations for a career in a demanding yet highly creative sector. In a few words, as Mr. Tziampiris likes to say in his graduation speeches, “the department gave me many questions and the professors, as they ought to, did not give me any answers to them”; instead, they guided me to find the answers on my own, a skill that is particularly useful in the daily demanding professional arena.
