In the latest instalment of our Alumni Spotlight series, we speak to Rebecca Zamponi, a graduate of the MA in European Politics and Governance, who is now working as a researcher and policy analyst in the European Parliament.
Rebecca shares why she chose to pursue a master’s in European politics ¾ÅÉ«ÊÓƵ, what she enjoyed most about her master’s and why it’s always important to pursue a career in a field you are truly passionate about.
Tell us a bit about yourself.
I grew up in a small rural town in North Tipperary, with a large extended family in the area.
As a child, I loved watching the news, which should have been a hint towards the career path I would eventually embark on. I still remember my excitement when my parents decided I was old enough to stay up and watch the 9 o’clock news! I also had a passion for reading that was ignited by the Harry Potter series.
I was the first in my immediate family to go to university, so it was initially a bit of a learning curve as I had no idea what to expect apart from what you might see in movies.
It was actually writing a paper during my BA that sparked the idea of working for the EU in some capacity. I still remember the essay title, ‘Territorial cohesion in contemporary Europe’.
I spoke to my professor about how feasible an EU career might be for someone like me. I had never even met anyone that worked for the EU at that point and had no idea if it was achievable or not. I was told about how competitive the job market was.
After this chat I knew I had to do three things. Firstly, I had to do something to prove I had a genuine interest in the EU and some knowledge – that’s where the MA came into play. Secondly, I knew I had to improve my French language skills and thirdly, I had to try to get an internship in one of the EU institutions. This led me on the search for a master’s in European Politics.
Why did you choose the MA in European Politics and Governance ¾ÅÉ«ÊÓƵ?
I hadn’t studied European politics or policy at BA level, so I wanted a course that was suitable for someone who didn’t already have that educational background. After reading the description of the core modules I felt sure that the MA in European Politics and Governance would be well suited to my needs.
As I mentioned above, I needed something concrete to prove that my interest in EU politics was genuine.
The location of UL was also ideal for me to travel in and out each day from my home in Tipperary.
What did you enjoy most about the MA in European Politics and Governance?
There were quite a few highlights, but I have to mention our trip to Brussels. The group, led by Dr Scott Fitzsimmons, really bonded during that trip. Receiving presentations from staff in the Irish permanent representation and different areas of the EU institutions heightened my desire to work in the EU bubble. It was further reassurance that I was pursuing a career that was genuinely interesting to me.
Furthermore, I also enjoyed the opportunity to regularly watch PhDs in the Department of Politics and Public Administration and others ¾ÅÉ«ÊÓƵ present their work. Afterwards there was a Q&A with the presenter, and it was intriguing to listen to the questions from professors and the defence by the speaker. I found it intellectually stimulating and hearing the commentary helped me improve my own work, so much so that in the second semester I came in on Wednesdays when I had no modules, just to attend those presentations.
What was the most important thing that you learned while doing your master’s?
Apart from the theory and EU/politics related knowledge, my biggest takeaway was that it really is worth pursuing a career in a field you are passionate about.
I loved every module and elective I took, especially the ones focused on the EU – this reassured me that an EU career is what I really wanted to pursue, even if it meant moving to another country and taking internships to achieve that.
What did you enjoy most about studying in UL?
I really enjoyed the open discussions we had with our professors and other students during classes. Politics can be divisive, but that was the opposite of my experience in UL.
I tend to be more of an introvert, so these chats, debates, and discussions really boosted my confidence. Building those skills has helped me perform well in interviews and feel comfortable speaking with senior colleagues.
How did UL support you in your studies and are there any lecturers who played a pivotal role during your time ¾ÅÉ«ÊÓƵ?
My thesis supervisor, Dr Rory Costello, was great. He gave the perfect amount of support. He was there by e-mail or in person when needed but also enabled me to be independent in my work.
Time and time again a number of professors showed they genuinely cared about us. For example, Dr Bernadette Connaughton organised interesting speakers such as former diplomat, Rory Montgomery, and former students who spoke about their career journeys.
UL also advertised French lessons, so I was able to attend those in the evenings – this was an important boost to my French skills before moving to Belgium, where it is one of the national languages.
Tell us about your career journey so far.
Two days after graduation I flew to Brussels to start an internship in a city where I knew no one. I progressed to a junior consultant role in that workplace, before being selected for the Robert Schuman traineeship in the European Parliament. That was really a dream come true!
I was in a friendly unit and had a great supervisor, Dr Ralf Drachenberg, a fellow UL graduate, who taught me a lot about the European Council and research. He gave me plenty of useful career advice and enabled me to really contribute to the work of the unit. He introduced me to a wider network of UL and Irish people in the Directorate-General for Parliamentary Research Services and made sure to tease me when Limerick were doing well in the hurling.
When the traineeship ended, I worked for a few months in a non-profit association before starting work in the European Commission. I worked there in the Secretariat General for a few years, dealing with colleagues from every Directorate General and across a wide array of issues.
I then returned to the Directorate-General for Parliamentary Research Services in the European Parliament as a policy analyst and researcher.
Our core clients are the Members of Parliament and my unit researches and writes publications on the activities of the European Council. We also give presentations on our work and in the past, we have recorded podcasts and YouTube videos.
Each policy analyst in the unit has specific areas of the European Council we follow and work on. I cover security and defence, enlargement and external relations. We sometimes work individually or with other colleagues in the unit, and occasionally we also collaborate with colleagues from other units.
Why did you choose a career in politics?
I didn’t know when I began my BA what career path I wanted to follow. All I knew was that I wanted something that would always keep challenging me to stay curious and keep learning. I eventually realised that EU policy and politics was the ideal career for me.
No matter how many years you work on it, you can never know everything. Politics changes too fast – there are too many actors at various level of governance and too many factors influencing those actors. For me, this keeps work very dynamic and interesting.
I really enjoy working with colleagues from all over the EU – learning about their culture, and how politics and life in general works in their countries. For me, this means not only my work but also my colleagues are a pleasure to learn about.
How did your master’s help you get to where you are now in your career?
It helped me in so many ways. Firstly, it was proof I had genuine interest in the EU. In addition, enjoying the programme as much as I did gave me the confidence to move to another country and pursue this career.
Furthermore, if I hadn’t done an MA I wouldn't have been selected for my traineeship, which was a critical stepping stone for my career. The traineeships are competitive and, in my unit, they generally wanted any prospective trainee to have at least an MA degree.
Finally, the skills and knowledge I obtained during my master’s ¾ÅÉ«ÊÓƵ boosted my confidence, and my ability to discuss opinions and complex ideas with people who may hold different views. Even though I studied in Limerick, we were a small but very international group with people from South Africa, India, the US, Bangladesh, Germany, France etc.
I had never been part of such a varied group before, but we built really nice friendships. I learned more about how different nationalities and cultures give importance to different things and improved my cultural sensitivity. I believe this helped me build strong connections, understanding and friendships in a multicultural workplace.
What are your hopes and plans for the future?
I am currently on maternity leave, but when I return, Ireland will host the Council presidency. This will be an exciting and busy time for Irish people in the Brussels EU bubble, with a plethora of meetings and events happening.
Outside of work I am also part of The Institute of International and European Affairs (IIEA) Brussels committee. I hope to contribute to the organisation with some interesting events for our community when I’m back in action.
Overall, my intention is to stay working for the EU, knowing that my role, unit or even institution may change over time. I also want to continue improving my language skills. I took Italian classes at the start of the year, and I would like to continue my progress.
What advice would you give to anyone considering studying ¾ÅÉ«ÊÓƵ, and in particular to those who might be considering doing the MA in European Politics and Governance?
Don’t worry about not being an EU or politics expert. If you have a genuine interest in this area, your professors will stimulate you intellectually and provide you with a strong foundation of knowledge to build on.
Utilise the UL community for support during your studies and afterwards as an important outlet for networking, especially if you enter a large and competitive job pool like the Brussels EU bubble.
When I started my traineeship in the European Parliament a few colleagues in the unit had studied in UL and my unit also works with prominent academic and UL politics alumnus, Professor Desmond Dinan, on certain projects. Th¾ÅÉ«ÊÓƵ connection gave us an immediate familiarity and topic to discuss with new colleagues.
Here ¾ÅÉ«ÊÓƵ, we encourage our students to ‘Stay Curious’. What keeps you curious and how important has curiosity been throughout your career?
I have a genuine interest in other people. I think working in an international context throughout my career, it’s important to have a healthy curiosity about your colleagues’ culture. It helps you understand their way of thinking better and leads to a better overall team dynamic. It’s also fun to learn about their history and traditions.