ENDRO KRISTANTO, INDONESIA

Endro Kristanto is a #UPEACE alumnus who returned, after 13 years, to enjoy what he calls “the privilege of such a green campus.” 

Thanks to one of UPEACE’s programmes, Endro obtained his M.A. from UPEACE in International Peace Studies, as a beneficiary of the Asian Peacebuilders Scholarship (APS) programme. 

Currently, he is a monitoring and evaluation consultant, working mainly for the World Bank. Having acquired a great deal of experience, he came back to his beloved campus in El Rodeo to teach a special course on “Monitoring & Evaluation of Development Projects.”

Enzo was happily working as a psychology lecturer at a university in Central Java before he found himself crossing the globe to Costa Rica. So how did Endro end up in Costa Rica? Well, it might have been mere chance. A friend happened to show him the #UPEACE website, and he was immediately interested. 

“I like research methodology and statistics, so my professional career has always been related to that, even my thesis in psychology! Later, my final project for UPEACE also included a methodology that surveyed more than 300 people. So after this programme at UPEACE, I started my career in monitoring and evaluation.”

When Endro arrived in Costa Rica, he was quite taken by the green scenery and environmental protection mindset. “That phrase by Federico García Lorca, verde que te quiero verde, stuck to me when I was writing a reflection after a field trip to Sarapiquí, as part of  a Water Security and Peace course. Costa Rica, in my opinion, has been doing quite well in managing its environment. That is why I sometimes tell my friends in Indonesia that Costa Rica is one of the steps before heaven.” 

His big smile shows he’s not lying; he definitely feels like our campus is closer to paradise. 

When I asked him what he remembers the most about his time at UPEACE, he was quick to respond: “Well, the most memorable part was the community: student life, student interaction… and also the professors. The atmosphere was very positive.”

Endro laughs when I ask him to show me photos of his time here: “I only have informal ones, not of classes!” His experience reflects the profound interactions and connections generated at and by UPEACE, which is why he continues meeting with and sharing time and experiences with members of his cohort and other UPEACE Alumni.  “Working and collaborating with UPEACERS is amazing. I believe in their capacity; for me, it’s all about the people.”

When asked what advice he would give current students at UPEACE, he responded: “Wel, 80% of what I do today and what I have done in the past is because of networking. Networking is very very important, and part of our responsibility is to try to be a good person everywhere.”

Apart from the UPEACE mindset he adopted during his time in Costa Rica, Endro was infused with a profound love for coffee. Today, this passion has also led him to become an entrepreneur: “I am also a coffee roaster. My brand is Ignite Coffee. I buy coffee from a green bean cellar and then I roast it. This is also why I wanted to come to Costa Rica, to visit Dota and Tarrazú. Costa Rican coffee is one of the reasons I learned to love coffee.”

“So you went from being a psychologist, to a consultant to a coffee roaster!,” I said to him. “It's a bit confusing sometimes,” he responds. “Even the topics of my consultancy are a bit confusing: reduction of poverty, economics, agriculture…but you know, I think it can all be related in the end through networking. People ask me what my specialty is and I always say: I’m a generalist!”

Find out more about Endro and his love of coffee here: https://instagram.com/ignite_coffeeroaster

MEGAN LEY, UNITED STATES

Megan is currently enrolled in the M.A. in Responsible Management and Sustainable Economic Development. Before coming to UPEACE, she double majored in mathematics and economics.

Megan doesn’t like to be in the spotlight too often, but we decided to put her on the spot – with her consent, of course - and got her to share her metaphorical understanding of walking each other home…

M: I think I am a little bit fearful of all the greed in the world. I believe many problems we have go back to the issue of living in a scarcity mindset: wanting more and more when you don’t need it. The most powerful want more and more, and they influence the world in ways they don’t even realize… that makes me a little bit scared.

But if I could change one thing, I would change the way people see themselves. If people loved, discovered and took care of themselves in different ways, in better ways, the world would be very different. If they knew who they were and loved themselves for everything they are, they would make other decisions – keeping in mind that getting there is harder for some than for others. If you try to accept the world and accept yourself as you are, it becomes more of a mindset of gratitude, a mindset that could change the world.

There is this quote by Ram Dass, "we all are just walking each other home." I really relate to it because more people who know themselves and love themselves will impact the world. I have already seen how people who love themselves have affected me. Specifically here, many UPEACE students value the importance of self-love, which is another reason why it's such a special place to be.

I came to UPEACE because I didn’t feel expressed in the life I was living before, the people I was with, the surroundings I was in. I needed a change. I wanted to study something that I loved. So I said to the universe, “I will apply, and if I get in, I will go,” and I got in! So I am here, studying Responsible Management and Sustainable Economic Development. I chose this program because I think the world revolves around money a lot of the time. I don’t think you can change the world without changing people's scarcity mindset, how people think about money, wealth, and materials. So I guess it maybe says that I am a bit realistic in the way the world works and hopeful that I can change the system, that WE can change the system.

Written by: Patric Hansen

Photo by: Sofía Blanco

KYLE SUNDSTROM, CANADA

Kyle Sundstrom is a Diplomat from Calagry, Canada who has worked in the Canadian government for over 15 years. He currently resides in Bogota, Colombia and has had postings in Costa Rica, Mexico, New York, Tripoli and Paris.

For a few weeks Kyle was able to join us on campus in Costa Rica and so we took the opportunity to find out what, or who, he believes has shaped the person he is today, why he is studying at UPeace and are left with an inspiring reason to be hopeful for a better future…

K: We are products of our environment. What makes me, me, is the people that I have been able to meet, to grow with, to like and love throughout my life. I am shaped by the experiences I have shared with them and the knowledge and friendship that they have shared with me. All these little moments where I have had choices in my life, have led me to who I am now. If I had gone to a different university or taken a different job I might have been a very different person.

My enrollment in the MA International Law & Diplomacy programme at UPEACE/UNITAR was a combination of circumstance and hope. When I was working in Costa Rica I learned about UPEACE and had actually visited the campus several times. I was very interested in the type of work and focus of the studies here and they seemed to fit my interest area perfectly. I am a strong believer in internationalism, in multilateralism, in the need for us to cooperate as human beings, and as States, and honestly we can only face the challenges that we are faced with by working together. I think UPEACE is the very embodiment of that ideal, the need to find common solutions. 

The diverse student-body at UPEACE provides a space to plant seeds for a future founded on multilateral cooperation. And this gives me hope. I find myself at UPEACE at a bit of a crossroads. I’ve been working for quite a while and I’m probably one of the older students but I am really inspired by the energy and knowledge of young people here and around the world. The voices of younger generations can be the voices leading us through the challenges we are facing today as a global community. Although the world can feel like a scary place and there is a lot of bad news, I find immense hope in our younger generations. 

Written By: Lillie Toon

Photo By: Jed Allen 

CHLOÉ BERNARDINO, FRANCE

Bio: Chloé Bernardino is enroled in the M.A in Development Studies and Diplomacy and, before coming to UPEACE, obtained her Bachelor’s degree in International Relations from the European School of Political and Social Sciences, Catholic University of Lille, France.

Chloé often jokes about herself, calling herself "fun size" in reference to her height. The funny thing is that everything about Chloé and her vibrating courage and energy is quite the opposite. During our conversation, she shares some of this vibration, her inner world and talks about the importance of reconnection. 

We did a beach clean up today. And after talking with my parents and friends, I realized how disconnected I am from nature. So often, people forget how natural systems work, and I am constantly learning more about how it is truly efficient. However, we have created a system that destroys nature and kills us by wanting to control everything. Everything becomes a cost-benefit decision to make more profit. This impacts our relationship with nature, and it is becoming more and more absent. And, with the additional technological and material presence in our daily lives, we distance ourselves even further; we focus more on screens than the sounds of nature.

If I could do something, I would make people more curious about reconnecting with the earth, other humans, and animals. There is one way I was disconnected from nature for a long time: I was told to put shoes on everywhere. Inside the house, on grass, or on sand. I think adults were scared that I might step on glass or something. I recently learned about "grounding", which is quite the opposite of what my parents taught me. Grounding is about putting your feet and hands on the floor to find inner balance. Have you tried it? – No? So good; you should give it a try!

And also, simply breathing. It is a powerful technique to reconnect, balance, regulate blood pressure, and reduce stress. And you don't need anything, just yourself. Grounding and breathing are examples that help us to reconnect to nature. We need to recreate that connection, this awareness, informing our ways of producing and living. It will positively impact our mental and physical health.

In many ways, I am reconnecting with myself. Especially since I am in Costa Rica, a totally new environment, with new people and new opportunities to learn, discover, and experience. It feels like finding a new playground. Since I am in Costa Rica, I continue following therapy online, and I am really seeing a change within myself. Sometimes it's hard, but it is like the good pain after a gym session or the feeling of a healthy diet; it's incredible. But the work comes from you. It is not the gym per se that makes you fit; it is the intention and the work you put into it.

I believe in the fact that what is meant to happen will happen…. Coming to UPEACE was meant to be part of my journey. To be brave enough to come here helped me to become myself. The more you go with the flow, the easier and more interesting it gets. It will create good energy and attract the best things into your life, you just need to allow it.

Written by: Patric Hansen

Photo by: Sofía Blanco

Joëlle Spahni, Switzerland

Joëlle is enrolled in the online M.A. in International Law & Diplomacy (UPEACE/UNITAR). She is currently living in Switzerland and is simultaneously working as Head of Operations and Co-head of International Litigation at AsyLex, an online legal advisory for asylum seekers and refugees.

For the first semester, we were lucky enough to have Joëlle here with us in Costa Rica. At our favourite cafe spot, Tulsi, I sat down with Joëlle to discuss her desire to make the world a borderless place, how she got to where she is today, and find out whose money she wants and why…

J: You know what I really just still can’t comprehend? The lottery of birth. Why do some of us have a life so full of privilege and others have to deal with such difficulty and hardship? To me, it is the ultimate injustice. I have had the privilege to travel. With my Swiss passport, I can come here to study in Costa Rica with no problem. But in contrast, my Indian counterparts face extensive visa processes when trying to move around Latin America, and if you are trying to flee the Taliban regime in Afghanistan, you cannot even access a visa to seek asylum through a safe and legal route.

If I could change one thing about the world, it would be to deconstruct borders. I would remove them all. Don’t get me wrong, I understand the uses that they have and I am aware that governing the whole globe would bring about a new set of challenges. But I really just hate this concept of borders and the exclusionist policies they promote. It doesn’t make any sense to me. I would make free movement accessible to everyone. 

Up until now, my career path has been a progressive journey to find the work that I believe has the most potential to have a real impact. When I was interning and volunteering with forced migrants in Greece, France and South Africa, I realised how useful the law is as a way to truly assist refugees. Yes, accompanying people to doctors appointments or doing their shopping for them is important and essential work, but I wanted to do something that changed the situation these people are in in the first place, to try and work towards a position where they have the power, where they have their basic rights, and where they do not need “assistance” to carry out daily tasks. And I realised that to do this, you need to know the law and how a legal system works, as it can be a really useful tool to protect you and others.

My next step on this journey of human rights advocacy is my work now as a legal representative for asylum-seekers. I want to build on this to really advocate to important stakeholders who have the power to change things in favour of the less privileged people. That is why I am studying diplomacy, to learn how to convince someone to act in the interest of less privileged persons. I feel that at the end of the day, because we are living in a capitalist system, money is really what you need to change the world. I want to be able to persuade the people in our society who have huge amounts of capital to support human rights causes. I want to be able to think like people with money, to advocate to them and to make human rights issues matter to them, because it should matter to them, and so much of the work we are trying to do ultimately depends on funding and financial backing.

I think the world would be a better place if people did less talking and more listening. It would open up the possibility to understand the other side. Once you know a person, you are more willing to help them because you have had that very basic human interaction. It would be great, for example, if companies carried out exchange programmes with their employees, making it mandatory to go and live somewhere else. First, they would participate in workshops with their international counterparts before trading places and going to live in each other's shoes for a while. And this brings me back to my point about advocating with corporations. We need them to be a part of the human rights movement, too. I believe, through diplomacy, we can make this happen, and I am utterly determined to do so. 

To find out more about Joëlle’s work and what they do at  AsyLex click the link below: https://www.asylex.ch/?about 

Written by: Lillie Toon

Photo by: Jed Allen