An Enriching Education in the Heart of Europe

Sebastian de Quant
MA ’19
European and Eurasian Studies
First Year: SAIS Europe

Before attending Johns Hopkins SAIS, Sebastian worked in a Greek refugee camp assisting asylum-seekers hailing from different parts of the Middle East and Africa. During that time, he organized the grassroots delivery of basic services like education and waste management. Sebastian also previously worked for the office of the Chairman of the UK’s Committee on Climate Change, where among other duties, he briefed national leaders on topics ranging from COP21 to the UK Brexit vote.

While studying at SAIS Europe during his first year of graduate school, Sebastian examined topics ranging from the macroeconomics of Southeast Asia to the political risks of insurgent populism in Europe. With a concentration in European and Eurasian Studies (EES), Sebastian gained valuable expertise in European markets and politics. EES has offered an analytical framework for learning about the region’s history, political economy and relationship with the rest of the world: a framework he will apply to other regions as he pursues career options in geopolitical and macroeconomic analysis.

Outside of class, Sebastian served as a Research Assistant at the Bologna Institute for Policy Research. In that role he had the opportunity to conduct and publish video interviews with guests at SAIS Europe’s faculty research seminar series, including leading practitioners in economics, foreign policy, and international development from across the continent.

Relationships with classmates have also been a very enriching part of his graduate school experience. Learning from fellow students through the school’s Global Security and Conflict Management Club events were one of the many highlights. It has also been inspiring for him to learn among students who had adventurous professional lives prior to attending the school and are able to share insight based on field experience of the institutions behind geopolitical and economic headlines.

Intellectual intensity aside, the SAIS Europe experience involved much travel and fun for Sebastian. A semester break took him to Naples, Rome, and the Tyrolese mountains, ending with the SAIS Europe traditional trip to Vienna for the Austrian Ball.