The Alumni Chapter Lead talks about staying connected to the alumni community, the culture of debate at Hertie, and his favourite course.
After graduating from the Hertie School’s Master of Public Policy programme in 2020, Felipe Orjuela now works as an Economic Integration Specialist at USAID Colombia. We sat down to talk to him about what skills he learnt at Hertie have allowed him to excel in his work, and how he used the network he developed at Hertie to find his first career opportunities after graduation.
As Alumni Chapter Lead in his home country of Colombia, he has been able to stay connected with his fellow Hertie alumni. This has allowed him to remain part of the wider Hertie community and reminisce on life in Berlin, and also to stay in touch with alumni following similar career paths. The advice he would pass on to current students? “Talk to everyone,” because you never know which conversations over lunch in your first week could turn into friendships that last for years.
Watch the full conversation below.