My name is Irina Mocanu and I have just graduated top of my class from the Security Studies undergraduate program at Babeș-Bolyai University in Cluj-Napoca. My biggest wish is to be able to continue my studies by pursuing a Master of Science in Global Governance and Diplomacy at the University of Oxford, where I was admitted in March 2021.
I have always been a dreamer and, fortunately, I have benefitted from the support of my parents who told me that my dreams do not depend on the financial and social condition of our family, but rather on how hard I work. Therefore, I felt encouraged to create my own path and to always be on the lookout for new development opportunities. Through the projects I took part in during high school, I managed to travel abroad for the first time in order to observe for a week the activity of the Ambassador of Romania to the Kingdom of Belgium. That was when my passion for diplomacy was born, passion which continued to grow with each activity I carried out. By attending Model United Nations conferences and doing an internship at the Polish Cultural Institute in Bucharest I got acquainted with the diplomatic protocol, realized the importance of public diplomacy and went out of my comfort zone giving speeches on various crucial topics. All of these experiences helped me be admitted into three undergraduate programs in the United Kingdom, making me the first in my family to pursue higher education. Unfortunately, due to financial difficulties, I decided to get my Bachelor’s degree in Romania.
In Cluj, I built the theoretical foundations necessary for carrying out the research project that opened my doors to Oxford. In my Bachelor’s thesis, I explore the circumstances which prompted the low-skilled migrants from the Romanian diaspora to change their usual electoral behaviour and vote for the Alliance for the Unity of Romanians (AUR) in the last parliamentary elections. This project grew out of my passion for diaspora diplomacy, which I developed during my internship at the Presidential Administration of Romania, and has already been awarded 1st place by the Central European University of Vienna.
The MSc in Global Governance and Diplomacy at the University of Oxford is one of the most competitive postgraduate programs in Social Sciences, with an admission rate of 10%. The aspect which I am most excited about is having the extraordinary opportunity to learn from Dr. Corneliu Bjola, the renowned Romanian professor of Diplomatic Studies and the founder of Oxford Digital Diplomacy Research Group. He will be the supervisor of my dissertation which will focus on Digital Diplomacy (the implications of Artificial Intelligence in Foreign Policy). During my time at Oxford, I aim to find out how the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs could use digital instruments to build a stronger connection with the diaspora. My long-term goal is to join the Diplomatic and Consular Corps and be among the experts in digital diplomacy who will represent the country’s voice on the international arena.
However, in order to achieve these goals I need your help. Being part of the first generation of students to come to the United Kingdom after Brexit, I no longer have access to any governmental loans for the tuition fees and the costs are considerably higher. Although the savings of all my family members cover my tuition fee, I still need another 15.000 GBP to cover the living costs during the 9 months of classes. Raising this amount will allow me to focus entirely on my studies, without worrying about my parents who have a net monthly salary of 1358 lei (mother) and 3000 lei (father), approximately, 870 euro both of them.
Although at a first glance the possibility of a student coming from such a modest family to succeed in studying at the University of Oxford seems extremely unlikely, I continue to dream as I have always had. The admission offer proved to me that I have the necessary skills to achieve excellence at such a prestigious university. However, I still need the support of an extended family to help me turn this dream into reality.
Thank you to all those willing to become my educational supporters, through any means! I am eternally grateful!
