Fridtjof was a Globalisation and Latin American Development MSc student in the years 2014-2015.
![Fridtjof Dunkel Fridtjof Dunkel](https://www.ucl.ac.uk/americas/sites/americas/files/styles/non_responsive/public/untitled-2_0.jpg?itok=9ojdMc8x)
After graduating high school in Germany I moved to Guatemala for about 18 month to work at NPH Guatemala. While volunteering there I had the first encounter with a developing country and all the particularities and challenges that come along with that. Having returned to Germany I began to be interested in theoretical issues related to development, politics, and human rights.
Thus I was looking for a postgraduate course that would give me the possibility to reflect upon a variety of issues concerning the Americas. I was especially attracted by the broad range of elective courses that, combined, enable one to develop a holistic picture of the Americas, its history, politics and society. This was furthermore supported through the events taking place at the Institute. Having the opportunity to talk to a Chilean judge who has sentenced the head of the DINA on one day and the following week discuss the issues of tied and untied aid with two representatives from a Brazilian project proved to be very helpful.
After graduating I interned for five month at the corporate unit of strategy and politics at GIZ (a German development agency) and have now begun the 14 month training course with the German Federal Foreign Ministry in order to become part of the German diplomatic corps.