After graduation, Hanna deliberately chose a path that moved between practice and academia: first working close to the realities of migration and displacement, then returning to research with clearer questions, sharper focus, and first-hand leadership experience to draw on.
Why Linköping University?
Hanna chose Sweden because Scandinavian higher education has a strong reputation in Germany. After looking at several options, she decided on Linköping University because the MA in Ethnic & Migration Studies was her first choice. She was drawn to the programme’s breadth and its interdisciplinary approach, including elements that allowed students to work with journalistic and creative writing connected to migration-related themes.A first job that shaped her leadership
After graduating, Hanna wanted to connect theory to practice. She returned to Germany and began working as a psychologist and team leader in refugee accommodation and crisis response. The role was intense, often shift-based, and she led teams where many colleagues were volunteers without formal training.
Looking back, Hanna describes the experience as formative. It strengthened her professional profile and confidence, while also teaching her about sustainable working life: setting boundaries, recognising the need for balance, and understanding how important good supervision is in a first job.
What she brought with her from LiU
Hanna says her time at LiU influenced how she approaches collaboration and leadership. She highlights the Swedish learning culture, listening to different perspectives, inviting critique, and working towards consensus, as a clear contrast to a more hierarchical tradition she has experienced in Germany.In practice, this became a leadership method: involving the team in decisions and reducing the pressure of having to “know everything” as a manager. For Hanna, leadership became less about having all the answers and more about enabling others and building trust.
Student life: community, nature and Linwin
Even though student life was affected by Covid, Hanna found close friendships in her dorm corridor, where they arranged shared dinners and low-key social evenings. She also spent a lot of time outdoors, running and walking, and developed a stronger connection to nature.She also joined Linwin, a student association focused on female leadership. Hanna appreciated being included as the only non-Swedish speaker and describes her mentor relationship, weekly conversations, as an early and practical introduction to leadership that later proved valuable in her working life.