Stefan De Las, M.A., Class of 2014

A testimonial by Stefan De Las, Trinidad and Tobago

M.A. in International Relations and Diplomacy, class of 2014

Deciding to relocate your life, even temporarily, is never an easy decision. I had been accepted to a Masters program in the United States, a familiar stomping ground, which seemed simple. Yet, the idea to go somewhere new and unexplored, where I would be able to put my comfort and security to the test excited me. It was this idea of venturing into the unknown that seemed borderline instinctual, and encouraged my decision to go to France.

Leaving home for Paris, and more specifically AGS (American Graduate School in Paris), was a life-changing decision, comparable to when I left home at 16 to pursue a football career. Little did I know the journey that would unfold.

AGS and Paris gave me the opportunity to test my limits, socially, linguistically and even emotionally.

AGS brought me closer to the world, and to those multinational perspectives that always tended to evade a simple islander. My own ideals were tested and defended on a daily basis, as I was challenged by almost everyone, from German, Russian and Ghanaian classmates to Ambassadors and professors, who have time and again embraced the practical and academic realms of life. I was challenged to expand my mind in a way that led to new discoveries and new applications of academics, discoveries which had to apply to real-life situations. I made close friends who now live on all parts of the globe.

Although AGS was an entirely english-based institution, there were numerous multilingual students speaking all levels of spanish, French, German, Russian, Czech, and even Indonesian.  I was also afforded the opportunity to learn french, and not the French taught in classrooms. Not the French that gives you a false sense of accomplishment. No, the french used daily in the streets, the French which beats your brain to the point where you want to run and hide. Confidence became a mental mission, one that if you let it slip for just a few days, it would drown you.

Some days, you don’t even feel to go to class because you have so many things to do; finish a thesis, prepare for a conference. Sometimes it would be because you miss that bit of home calling you for that home-cooked meal. Many students would tell you about their stresses during final semester readying their thesis for the panel of hard-hitting professionals. Most would tell you of their lack of sleep and the countless paper revisions they were instructed to do. I would tell you that this actually benefited me. The cup half full would say that all these challenges prepare you for employment and daily deadlines. It develops your organization and quickens your thinking. Going to class and learning new material is one thing, but being able to accurately manage your life between classes, thesis deadlines, student organization planning, learning French and even having that side job to bring in some income is priceless. Mastercard could not say it better if they tried.

Paris’ hard-knock life style, AGS’ academic structure and my own drive to succeed has definitely provided me with the foundation to give working life the pursuit it deserves, no matter where life takes me. 

If you expect it to be easy, you may as well stay at home. If you are looking for an adventure, and an opportunity to grow, this is definitely for you. 

Visit Stefan de Las' blog on Trinidad's politics at: http://www.transparentoutlook.com/