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