‘Everyone Who Sees HSE University on My CV Says: “You Must Be So Smart!”’
On October 9–10, the first-ever HSE International Alumni Reunion brought together graduates from various cohorts and programmes—now working in Russia and abroad—along with representatives of HSE University and its industry partners. The event included a tour of the campus, a business game, and a cultural festival. The participants exchanged experiences, reflected on their career paths, and discussed labour market challenges.
The first day started with a guided tour along the Pokrovka campus with its historical highlight—the Durasov House, a classical-style estate built in the late 18th century for the nobleman Nikolay Durasov.
For some of the graduates, it was a nostalgic return to the place of their studies, while others visited the venue for the first time and were impressed with it. ‘The highlight of the day for me was visiting the building, because when I was studying, I had classes in other buildings, so I unfortunately never visited the Pokrovsky Boulevard one,’ said Diep Nho Le, a Russian-born Vietnamese woman, Senior System Game Designer at Glera Games, who got her bachelor’s from the HSE Faculty of Creative Industries in 2023.
Several graduates made presentations about their professional development.
Anna Gonzales, from Peru, joined HSE University’s Master of International Business programme to reinvent her professional path. Balancing work and study, she moved from private English tutoring to her first marketing position during the programme, which she finished in 2024, and gradually advanced to managerial roles.
Today, Anna is a Marketing Team Lead at a major international company, managing large-scale projects in the telecom and finance sectors, including participation in the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona and projects in Brazil.
She encouraged fellow alumni to quantify their achievements and develop confidence, adding: ‘When you move to a new country, be brave. Ask questions, make mistakes, rebuild.’
Warda Tariq, from Pakistan, got her Specialist’s degree in Data Science from HSE University in 2024 and is now pursuing her PhD here. Warda is carrying out research on AI solutions for low-resource and indigenous South Asian languages. She builds datasets and processing pipelines with the goal of developing large language models that support linguistic diversity.
Her achievements include scholarships at both the master’s and doctoral levels, a research internship at USTC (China), and a presentation at the RANLP conference. She credited HSE University’s strong academic brand and her supervisors’ support for her international visibility.
Although her programme is in English, Warda openly discussed the language barrier: ‘The academic opportunities here are excellent, but to fully participate in the country’s life, you need to speak Russian.’ She recently began studying the language, linking it to her long-term career goals in Russia.
Sangam Kumar Singh, from India, graduated from the HSE Master’s programme in Big Data Systems in 2020 with a double degree at Lancaster University. Today he works as a Senior Data Scientist at Ericsson R&D. Sangam highlighted that HSE University provides not only technical knowledge but also a mindset of curiosity and analytical thinking essential for global competitiveness. He described his studies as a balance of theory and practice, praising the university’s emphasis on real-world applications and interdisciplinary collaboration.
Reflecting on his studies in Russia and later at Lancaster University, Sangam noted that while the UK model focuses on innovation and entrepreneurship, HSE University offers greater technical and analytical depth in computer science, business intelligence, mathematics, and statistics. ‘It’s not about where you study, but how you study,’ he said. He also recalled his volunteer work during the COVID-19 pandemic in Moscow’s Longevity programme, which strengthened his sense of belonging and civic responsibility.
Mehrasa Ghoreishyrad, from Iran, graduated from the Master's programme 'Politics. Economics. Philosophy' in 2021. Today, she is a teacher and curriculum developer of English Language and Literature and Social Studies at WIDE School. Mehrasa’s international study experience at HSE University coincided with the pandemic, which made adjustment difficult, but she emphasised the university’s supportive academic environment.
Before coming to Moscow, Mehrasa was considering going to a university in the Czech Republic. ‘What changed my mind was HSE University’s openness and communication culture,’ she said. Mehrasa noted that the institution’s diversity encouraged critical thinking and dialogue, qualities that continue to shape her teaching.
Now engaged in academia and mentoring, she helps new applicants prepare for admission to HSE University. She smiled recalling reactions to her CV: ‘Everyone who sees HSE University on my resume says, “Oh, you must be so smart!”’
The presentations were followed by an open discussion that allowed the participants to explore both strategic themes and practical insights. Moses Omopekunola, from Nigeria, shared how his background in physics and further study at HSE University led him to apply AI in psychometrics and educational assessment.
One of the recent graduates asked the participants for advice on career development. Mayowa Johnson, a 2024 master’s graduate of the St Petersburg School of Economics and Management, from Nigeria, suggested looking at all opportunities from a career point of view: ‘Whatever you see—ask yourself, “can I make a business out of it?”’
Anna Gonzales’s advice was straightforward: ‘Apply for jobs as if there’s no tomorrow. Send out dozens of applications and learn to sell yourself.’ She also mentioned that Russia offers a lot of CPD opportunities, which expand one’s career horizons. Andriya Dzhokich, from Serbia, suggested that ‘HSE can help you to sell yourself’ through networking with classmates and supervisors. One of the options suggested during the discussion was to avoid Moscow’s tough labour market and look for positions in nearby countries such as Tajikistan, Azerbaijan, and Uzbekistan, where HSE University graduates are highly valued and may find it easier to secure a job.
The HSE Career Centre contributed to the event: it attracted an industry representative from VK, an IT company that operates one of Russia’s largest technology ecosystems, who talked at the meeting and invited interested graduates to contact the company.
Valeriia Iuzyshina, Organiser of the Reunion, Project Team Manager at the Support and Career Centre for International Students and Alumni
‘We started working with international alumni in 2023. Over these years, we have introduced the International Mentoring Programme, which is carried out in English and is unique among Russian universities. We also organised a meeting for graduates with the HSE rector in Beijing and are regularly surveying our alumni worldwide. Networking has been one of the most popular requests from them. That is why we decided to hold an in-person reunion of international alumni in Moscow. It turned out that the demand for such a meeting was really high: many participants took a day off from their jobs, others postponed their international trips, and one graduate even came to Moscow from India just for the event. We value this trust a lot and thank everyone for participating!
We’ve received a lot of positive feedback from the participants and many requests to repeat such an event. We will make sure to organise such reunions annually.’
The first day of the reunion also featured the business game ‘Social Intelligence of a Leader,’ where the graduates enjoyed the opportunity to experience a class at their alma mater once again, learning how the brain works in communication and how individuals can successfully communicate in various business situations.
Sangam Kumar Singh, from India, Senior Data Scientist at Ericsson R&D, 2020 graduate of the HSE Master’s programme in Big Data Systems
‘The game encouraged me to think in a different way: I come from a heavy technical background, but this addressed a more philosophical side of the things. Different aspects of social capital are always there, but you never think a lot about it. We played some games to see how different groups interact in a company and what type of connections are there, how structural gaps could be quite difficult to manage in a big organisation, and how brokers—the humans in the middle—can enable groups to start communicating. We also talked about the framework, a pyramid with the goal on the top, then you have the procedures, then you have the relationship, and then you have the interfaces. All of this is quite critical for any organisation to move forward. And this structural gap could be pretty damaging. The session lasted three hours, and thanks to the guest speaker, it was really fantastic.’
Murad Mammadov, from Azerbaijan, business owner in international trade, 2017 graduate of the International Relations programme at the Faculty of World Economy and International Affairs
‘It was a pretty interesting event; I’m very glad that I was able to make it and participate. I really liked this building. I also really liked the speaker we had during the business game talking about practical skills—communication, relationship development, and so on. I even pointed out to him that when I was a student, we had a lot of theoretical classes, and although we talked about hard skills, it was still not enough because in international relations, hard skills are directly linked to how relations between opposing sides develop. Such business games could definitely be integrated into undergraduate studies, and young people would certainly benefit from it.
The concept of bringing people from different countries and different cultures to communicate and connect with each other within the walls of their university is a great one. It’s a relatively widespread idea in a lot of universities both in Russia and internationally, but it’s great that they did it at HSE University as well, because it’s like a return to your university, to an integral, very exciting part of your life; a connection to your past.’
The second day of the reunion featured the roundtable ‘Networking: How It Functions, Why It Matters’ with a moderated discussion on the nuances of networking in different cultures and stories of how one acquaintance could change a career. The reunion finished with a Russian Culture Day Festival, where the graduates dived into Russian culture by participating in quizzes, playing traditional musical instruments, crafting at workshops, and tasting famous pirozhki.
Muhammad Sufiyan, from Pakistan, data scientist in a multinational company, 2024 graduate of the Master’s programme in Data Science, pursuing his second Master’s in Chinese language at HSE University
‘The event has been interesting and fun. I’ve met a few of my old friends and some new, interesting people. We’ve learned something new about sociology, and the presentation was very good. We’ve played some games and had some thrilling conversations afterwards. The reunion was a great experience.’
Diep Nho Le, from Russia/Vietnam, Senior System Game Designer at Glera Games, 2023 graduate of the Faculty of Creative Industries
‘I’m really happy that I came. I loved this event. I would like it if these kinds of events were organised more often, maybe even once a year. If they were, I would certainly support them, I would certainly come back, perhaps even invite my former classmates because I would love to see them. I met a lot of people—different ethnicities, different professions. It’s amazing.’
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