The Rope Shop Educational Space gathered students for a seminar under the theme: ‘The Edges of a Career: A Dialogue Among International HSE Alumni on Their Professional Journeys.’ The moderators of the panel discussion were Olivia Adjoa Anamporiyah, second-year student of the Master’s programme ‘Data Analytics for Business and Economics’ from Ghana, and Manas Varbhuvan, third-year student of the Bachelor’s programme ‘International Programme in Business and Economics’ from India. The session focused on three HSE alumni: Lakshmi Priya Panicker, Alexander Yao Ahiekpor, and Soman Awan. Now, all of them are young professionals employed in Russia. The graduates returned to their alma mater to share their experience and life hacks.
As the conference began, Lakshmi Priya Panicker, graduate of the Master’s programme ‘Comparative Politics of Eurasia’ from India, explained that finding employment after her studies was quite painful and challenging. Having graduated in 2024 with a diploma in International Relations, she had to return to India as she couldn’t immediately secure a job in Russia. The explained: ‘It was a difficult decision. Especially due to the fact that there aren’t a lot of opportunities in the sphere of International Relations in India. Besides, very few companies are willing to employ candidates with little or no experience.’ In this twist of events, Lakshmi was forced to switch careers and embrace new openings. ‘I was initially rejected, but that’s the best part about a Master’s when you are in a heavy research programme, you have the opportunity to take transferable research knowledge and move it along to a different career path,’ she said.
Switching careers after studies is something many graduates have to go through. Soman Awan, graduate of the Master’s programme ‘Data Analytics for Business and Economics’ from Pakistan, explained: ‘Though there are people who know what they want to do, most of the career trajectories students follow—including my own—are not going to be linear.’ He encouraged students to be willing to adapt to new environments and follow the trends that presently structure the job market like AI and branding, while remaining true to what they want to make out of the job.
Whether it is about adapting or rebranding oneself, the bottom line appears to be curiosity. This was the point raised by Alexander Yao Ahiekpor, graduate of the Master’s programme ‘International Business in the Asia-Pacific Region’ from Ghana, during his speech. The alumni claimed that the most necessary quality sought by job hunters in this era was curiosity. Several rejections and an early job setback encouraged Alexander to reassess his career path. This led him to pursue several internships and later contribute as a research assistant at HSE University. He credits this transition to intellectual curiosity and continuous learning.
All three panellists who now work and live in Russia agreed that if they were given the opportunity to restart today or perhaps do something better as a student, they would invest more in creating meaningful connections and strategic networks, rather than just studying. As Lakshmi Panicker puts it: ‘Most employers want to know what you can do and not how impressive your educational experience appears. Meanwhile experience is obtained through networks, talking to people and mastering specific fields of work.’
All the students who took part in the seminar left satisfied. Sambo Emmanuel, first-year student of the Master’s programme ‘International Business in the Asia-Pacific Region,’ commented: ‘It was a great experience. Mr Alexander Yao Ahiekpor encouraged us to be more curious in searching for knowledge and build more networks, as the network you build today will open a door for you tomorrow. I also had the opportunity to meet Prof. Anna Tyshetskaya, Director of HSE University–St Petersburg. It was a great day for me.’
This career dialogue was one of many activities that took place on January 25, 2026, at the HSE Rope Shop Educational Space. Held in honour of Student Day 2026, it gathered not only students but also administration, professors, and friends in a spirit of studentship and unity. The day ended with an award ceremony in which various event participants were recognised for their work and initiative within HSE University and beyond.
Article by Nche Kingsly Nji, first-year student of the Master’s programme ‘International Business in the Asia-Pacific Region.’
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