DPP Alumna Sema Merve Is has received the prestigious Policy Leader Fellowship at the European University Institute (EUI) - School of Transnational Governance. She has graduated from the one-year MA in Public Policy degree program (MAPP) in 2021 with a specialization in Governance. During her studies, she has also received the CEU Outstanding Academic Achievement Award. As a migration specialist with expertise in the development and humanitarian aid projects, she has been professionally advocating in the displacement field to support the rights and resilience of refugees at the CSO and international levels.
The Policy Leader Fellowship is a global programme for early and mid-career policy practitioners from around the world to enhance their work and professional skills, whilst participating in workshops, trainings, skills development sessions, conferences and other events. They also have a chance to interact with other fellows, policy-makers and the academic community at the EUI. During her 10-month long fellowship, she will produce a policy report for rethinking refugee policies for the post-COVID-19 era at the EU and Turkey levels to develop practical policy solutions for policy-making actors.
Sema Merve Is’s response about the EUI Policy Leader Fellowship:
“I am thrilled to be joining the EUI as a Policy Leader Fellow for their 2022-2023 cohort in Florence, Italy. I believe the Policy Leader Fellowship will provide me a window of opportunity for global collaboration with the policy practitioners and academic community to discuss the best practices, innovative tools, and new solutions in diverse policy challenges.
My master’s degree in Public Policy with a specialization in Governance from CEU has equipped me with the academic knowledge and practical skills thanks to the applied component of the program and led me to be part of EUI’s Policy Leader Fellowship, a prominent hub for policy practitioners all around the world. I am grateful for my DPP Professors’ insights and inspiration in policymaking, as well as CEU Career Services Office’s guidance in my career path in policy areas.”