Milestone Alumni Stories is a selection from among the life stories of the Institute’s Alumni. With this we show the long term potential of talent and what directions students can take today after completing Milestone and university. The alumni included in the selection introduce themselves with a short biography or description and light the way to the current Milestone and high school students with the help of some questions from Knowledge Port.
(Depending on needs, the selection would be updated every two months or every month. We ask all alumni who would like to be featured in Milestone Alumni Stories to apply at knowport@msinst.org)
category:
international relations
and
digital economy
year of Milestone graduation:
2012
universities:
Harvard University
London School of Economics and Political Sciences
Durham University
Andras Molnar is a Policy Analyst at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). At the OECD, Andras focuses on the digital economy and provides evidence-based policy analysis and guidance to the governments of member countries on data governance, privacy, online safety, children in the digital environment, and cybersecurity.
Andras publishes extensively and his contributions in the area of the digital ecomony were recognised internationally, including at G7 and G20 leaders’ summits. He authored and co-authored several books and articles, including the OECD Digital Economy Outlook, numerous Digital Economy Papers, and Digital Policy Briefs. He also played a leading role in launching the Global Forum events on Digital Security for Prosperity which has become one of the most influential multilateral settings on cybersecurity.
In his personal capacity, Andras serves as an Affiliate at Harvard University where he gives academic lectures and develops research that can foster the digital transformation and make it work for the economy and society.
To always remain academically curious and to embrace new ideas.
You can achieve anything that you envisioned – just keep your confidence. If it does not work out the first time, you will succeed over time if you remain persistent.
Never be shy to reach out for mentoring!
I would like to further explore uncharted territories within the realm of digital economy policy.
category:
animation
year of Milestone graduation:
2012
universities:
University of the Arts London
Aberystwyth University
Hi, I’m Judit, a 2D animator and concept artist. I “graduated” Milestone in 2012, and went on to study in Wales, I did my MA in London. For the past few years I’ve been working in animation, on projects like the League of Legends World Anthem, Love Death and Robots, and The Boy, the Fox, the Mole and the Horse.
These days I’m trying to negotiate life with an intelligence officer, a housewolf, and more books than I have space for.
This one is hard. The Milestone I started out in was a very different beast from how it is today! It was much smaller, and I was the only one going into art that year, so we had to learn how to solve problems on the fly. It taught me that there is no impossible task – if you have enough great minds together, someone will have just the idea you need.
Trust yourself. Don’t let anyone steer you away from doing the things you love. And only eat fish and chips on the seaside.
Unfortunately, I’m not allowed to talk about this. – Most of my work is under non disclosure agreement! But look out for some exciting new animations coming out in 2023 😉
category:
academics
and
research
year of Milestone graduation:
2012
university:
University of Cambridge
Aberystwyth University
Akos Erzse holds a MPhil diploma from Trinity College at the University of Cambridge. Currently, he is a Senior Manager for Public Policy at BitOasis, the Middle East’s first and largest regional virtual assets platform. Previously, he worked as a Policy & Strategy Advisor at the Tony Blair Institute, focusing on assisting governments in their decision making at the intersection of foreign policy, public policy, and tech. Akos’ additional experience includes working at NATO HQ SACT in the USA and, for a brief and amazing period of time, being a Module Leader and Mentor at Milestone.
I have experienced reading wide, recognizing what gets one excited, and zooming in on that as long as you’d like.
That they should not be afraid of staying curious on their own terms. I would recommend not letting the opinion of others dictate what they are interested in. They might want to explore. Wondrous and rewarding things can be found off the beaten path. They should stay curious and apply themselves.
I like to keep an open mind about the future. I would like to stay happy and keep working on tough policy challenges at the frontiers of tech and innovation. I hope to return to Milestone at some point and give back some more of the knowledge and experiences I have gathered thanks to the Institute.
category:
academics
and
research
year of Milestone graduation:
2010
universities:
Brown University
Central European University
University of Birmingham
I am most grateful to Milestone for creating and fostering an exceptionally valuable community that I continue to be part of. Any technical skill or academic knowledge I have learned in Milestone I could have picked up from books, but the benefits I could not have obtained in any other way came from meeting, learning from, growing with, and eventually even teaching, a group of amazing people with shared experiences, interests, values, and mindsets. This is the gift that keeps on giving.
Focus less on the academic side of things and more on your psychological and emotional well-being. In the long run, it is not ambition, skill, or achievements that are going to set you apart and keep you going but sanity.
I have grown to believe that leading a value-oriented life is more important than a goal-oriented one. So, as much as I would like to complete my PhD in Cognitive Science at Brown University, become a professor, and finish some of the most iconic ultrarunning races in the world, such as the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc, I recognize that I cannot control the outcome for any of these things, only the effort. And, as long as I stay true to my values while taking effective action towards them, I don’t mind if they never actually come to fruition. The path is the goal itself.
category:
climate activism
and
policy
year of Milestone graduation:
2013
universities:
Central European University
University of Warwick
My name is Dorka Bauer, I am a climate communications expert. I guess, given my field, I am an eternal optimist or a masochist, I will let you decide on that.
My climate activism started with a training where I learned the basics of climate change. Those three days made me realize that this issue impacts all aspects of our lives, so it seemed like a good idea to fully immerse myself in it. From this moment on, every essay or presentation I wrote during my bachelor studies in International Studies and Politics at the University of Warwick focused on the challenges of the climate crisis. I joined student societies at Warwick, I did an internship at Climate Reality Project Canada organising a climate change training for hundreds of people. In my freetime, I tried to pass on the knowledge I learnt about the climate crisis to high school and elementary school students in Hungary.
Climate change is a vast topic and I wasn’t sure which segment of it was my corner. So I returned to Hungary to figure out the next steps of my career and I interned at the Regional Environmental Center for Central and Eastern Europe and a small climate policy think-tank. In my free time, I worked with like-minded individuals in the beginnings of Momentum, co-leading their Sustainability working group. That one and a half years made me learn three things: first, standing up for my opinion can move mountains no matter how small I am; second, how much I enjoyed communicating about climate change and third, I wanted to learn so much more about the topic.
So I went on to study Environmental Sciences and Policy at the Central European University. During my masters degree I coordinated a community of climate entrepreneurs at Climate-KIC. I started working for the European Climate Foundation in 2018 in Berlin, where ever since, I have been learning the ins and outs of strategic climate communications, focusing on various issues, including international climate diplomacy and climate litigation.
Never stop asking questions.
I would suggest them to make as many friends as they can and to try to cultivate all the opportunities that their university offers. I’d encourage them to focus their careers on something that aligns with their values, something that brings them much power and joy.
I know this should be something big about how I will contribute to solving the climate crisis, but at the moment my main goal is to reconfigure my work-life balance so I can have more power to move mountains.
category:
entrepreneurship
and
business
year of Milestone graduation:
2015
university:
University College London
Péter Csányi is a Forbes (Hungary) 30/30 listed entrepreneur, graduated from University College London (UCL) with a BSc degree in 2018. He then spent a few months working for a large company in London before moving back home to Hungary to set up the clothing brand Vates. The brand has been growing dynamically since its launch in 2019, with an online follower base of over 140,000 and 35,000+ products sold.
Besides Radnóti High School, Milestone was the first wider inspirational community where I felt that I could continuously grow and develop. I made a lot of friends who I have stayed in touch with ever since. I don’t think I would have made it to UCL without Milestone, which has contributed greatly to who I am today.
The sooner it becomes clear to them what they want to do, the better. It takes a lot of trial and error, but in the end, if they can find the one thing they enjoy doing and throw themselves into it with full power, they can achieve great results quite quickly. But for this, they have to find out what they are truly passionate about and pursue it maniacally.
In addition to Vates, I am now working on building my own brand in 2023. As I have a passion for entrepreneurship and business, I want to build myself up in this area for the long term, probably as a serial entrepreneur. At some point I would like to live in the USA, this might be achieved with an MBA degree.
Link to Péter’s brand: www.vates.hu
category:
academics
and
research
year of Milestone graduation:
2016
university:
Imperial College London
Eszter Ujvári is continuing her second-year PhD studies at Imperial College in London. She deals with neurobiology and specialises in the topic of traumatic brain injuries. She plans to spend the rest of her career in academic research. In addition to these, she is also a member of the university’s volleyball team.
Learning the basics of academic writing and developing my time management skills.
I recommend them to try out a variety of subjects before deciding what they want to commit to.
I plan to stay in academia and continue research in neuroscience.
Link to a research with Eszter’s participation: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s13054-020-03373-9
category:
academics
and
research
year of Milestone graduation:
2016
university:
University of Cambridge
Dávid Kovács graduated from high school in 2016 and studied Natural Sciences at the University of Cambridge. He spent his summer internships in Cambridge and at Caltech. After his undergraduate studies, he obtained his Master’s degree in Physics at Cambridge. Following this, he moved on to the Department of Engineering, where his research is focused on developing new machine learning algorithms for chemical modelling. He is currently a third-year PhD student.
I greatly benefited from Milestone both in terms of my academic and social preparation for living abroad and in the UK in particular. Academically, Milestone enabled me to learn about subjects that were not my immediate expertise, which turned out to be very useful later in my undergrad years. Socially, having made several friends there, who also came to Cambridge made fitting in much simpler a new country and culture.
I recommend that they use Milestone to broaden their horizons. If there is something they are particularly good at already I recommend that they try and concentrate on other maybe slightly related courses and subjects. Also make sure to participate in social activities and do not hesitate to reach out directly to alumni for help or advice.
I am working on a few studies still related to my PhD that I hope will help bring the technologies I have been developing into practical use in drug discovery. After finishing my PhD thesis I will certainly continue research, but am exploring options both in industry and academia to find the best fit for me.
Read more about Dávid Kovács’ research and scientific work here:
https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=wHfPt9oAAAAJ&hl=en
category:
political research
and
analysis
year of Milestone graduation:
2013
universities:
University College London
University of Warwick
My post-university journey led me to years of experience in political research, policy analysis, law- and decision-making relating to social justice – including migration, asylum, social security, employment, health, and equality policies – that I gained working at the European Parliament in Brussels, and currently as Senior Researcher at the UK Parliament in Westminster. Previously, I’ve been involved in international organisations like Unicef UK, where I worked on fundraising projects and campaigns advocating for children’s rights, and the International Organization for Migration in Hungary as part of a project on inclusive education. My academic background is in Sociology, Cultural Studies, Human Geography and Migration Studies, and my main interests include migrants’ rights, anti-discrimination, fair work and employment.
I came to appreciate interdisciplinary learning instead of limiting myself to a particular subject, and that so much of this learning happens outside of the classroom. What I value the most though is the community that I gained thanks to Milestone. Some of these friendships go back a decade and have helped me navigate studying, working, and living in the UK while feeling connected to Hungary as well.
My advice is to try as many things as possible, to immerse yourself in the topics, disciplines, and extracurricular activities that you naturally gravitate towards and are passionate about, but also to dare approach the ones you have not considered before because you never know what you might find or where they will lead you. Now is your time to explore!
I’m a campaigner in the Stories for Change programme of the 3million – the largest grassroots organisation for EU citizens in the UK, formed after the Brexit referendum to protect the rights of people who have made the UK their home. I will continue to be engaged in activism and organising around migrants’ rights, and currently I’m working on a photography project exploring new ways of representing lived experiences, identities, and migration stories.
category:
Environment and Conservation in the IGO/NGO sector
year of Milestone graduation:
2016
university:
Durham University
Bálint focuses on supporting projects that help mainstream biodiversity considerations into the strategic decision-making of private and public organizations. An important part of his role involves liaising with Proteus Partnership members, research and data analysis, and managing high quality and impactful projects.
Milestone has helped me to master the English language in social, academic and professional situations. I also learnt how to take a skills-based approach to interdisciplinary problems. In addition, Milestone has provided me with an inspiring and stimulating environment where I could proactively navigate.
They should get to know themselves and find out what they find valuable and interesting in the world. Then seek out people in areas they find valuable and interesting with whom they can develop reciprocal relationships. Once this is done, help them (and work with them).
My main goal is to help put the plans agreed in the Kunming-Montréal Global Biodiversity Framework into practice. This also requires that biodiversity and our natural values are given greater weight among public and private sector leaders when making decisions. I also aim to maintain work-life balance and enjoy life.
Links to projects with Bálint’s participation: Proteus Partnership; UNEP-WCMC
category:
politics
and
international relations
year of Milestone graduation:
2015
university:
University of Cambridge
Patrik Kurath is Executive Vice President of the Cambridge Middle East and North Africa Forum (MENAF), a research institute startup dedicated to informing British foreign policy discussions vis-à-vis the Middle East and North Africa region. Patrik studied Politics and International Relations at the University of Cambridge and attained his Master’s degree in Global Political and Economic Risk from Johns Hopkins University.
The message of one of my earliest conversations with the founders of Milestone keeps coming to my mind to this day. A university degree is a stepping stone that equips you with interdisciplinary skills that can be applied across various fields, rather than determine your profession in a narrower sense. At Milestone, I gained an insight into just how significant a difference this makes for the learning process, even during a single class.
Keeping an open mind about my university studies and what opportunities they could pave the way to helped me explore different electives during the academic year and various professional fields during the summer.
I would like to continue my studies with a PhD programme. I am very interested in democracy theory and its practical challenges in various political communities. I currently envision my future in the field of public policy.
