After one year as an active writer in the MD team, Sarah is now our Editor-in-Chief of the Maastricht Diplomat and Head of the Journal Committee. Sarah is 21 years old, French, and in her free time likes to listen to music, cook for her friends, and romanticize her life in the cobblestone streets of Maastricht. In her third year at the University College Maastricht, she focuses on Foreign Policy, International Relations, and Political Science. This year at the MD, she hopes to create a dynamic and profound space for all of our members, ensuring much coercion, collaboration, and motivation.

Elena is a American-Portuguese third year student at University College Maastricht studying Social Sciences and concentrating on international relations and security. She is this years co-head of editing and is very excited for this year of the Maastricht Diplomat. She is deeply interested in politics, culture, and arts and hopes to contribute to articles in that domain. This year, she hopes to foster voices and help her writer's become they best they can be while also writing her own articles to continue the Diplomat's mission to accessible and free press.

A.G is an Icelander pursuing an LLB in European law at Maastricht University. In her writing, she is partial to mapping connections between distinct subjects, exploring niche topics, and looking for opportunities to use the Oxford comma.

In her second year at Maastricht University, Raquel now leads our audiovisual team. As a Costa Rican, warmth and enthusiasm shine through her storytelling. This year, she’s focused on creating a platform for all voices and creative outlets, representing Maastricht’s diverse community and beyond.

Vanille is a third year international relations student at UCM, currently on exchange in Irvine, California. Last year she annoyed everyone with the university council, and managed to write as much about politics as she did about culture. If you don’t see any articles coming out, she’s probably either hiking or planning her next one. This year she is very excited to be supporting the talented writers of the foreign correspondent team!

As a kid, Léa discovered writing… and she has not really stopped since. Now 19 years old, she is in her second-year in Global Studies in Maastricht. Her passion for international relations, social justice and (geo)politics has led her to the Diplomat, where she hopes to uncover more stories to tell and share with the world. In her free time, you can find her looking at flight tickets she cannot afford in search of a new travel adventure, absorbed in a book, dancing with her friends or trying out new vegetarian recipes.

Jaap is a Dutch student of European and Dutch law, allowing him to bridge the gap between international and local students. Addicted to maps of any kind, he will beat you in geoguessr. By exploring taboo topics, and understanding controversial beliefs, he hopes to shed light on other perspectives, no matter how radical. He is also-well travelled, and hopes one day to be fluent in Chinese.

Claire is an American second-year student studying Arts & Culture at FASoS. Born in New York, NY and raised across three continents, she began her journalistic experience in middle school and continued contributing to school newspapers and yearbooks throughout high school. Because of her multicultural upbringing, she developed a deep interest in chronicling the events and interconnections of our world. Specifically exploring the breaches that exist in history, politics, gender studies, and philosophy. When not exploring Maastricht you can find Claire at Lumiere exploring the world of film, creating eclectic meals with friends, or reading by the Maas.

Flo is a second-year Global Studies student at FASoS, striving to make sense of the absurd world around him. With a keen interest in sociology and politics, he is gradually uncovering the power of media and language in shaping ideas, values, and societies. Aware of the responsibility that comes with writing, he hopes to contribute to a less alienating, more optimistic, creative, and—above all—whimsical world of storytelling, whether through news articles, fiction, or his own (more or less worthwhile) personal opinions. At the very least, he aims to challenge traditional ways of thinking and spark conversations between friends and readers, even if it’s just about how spectacularly and utterly wrong he is.

Jakob is a second-year European Law student from the lovely Münster, Germany. Keen on foreign languages and diplomacy, he will attempt to explore geopolitics and trade under the lense of justice. In his free time, he likes to boulder, read and (rather unsuccessfully) learn French. He hopes to contribute to the Diplomat by shedding light on current international affairs that deserve more attention than they actually receive.

Dominique is a third-year student at University College Maastricht, specializing in International Law and International Relations. Her academic focus lies in Corporate and Government Crime, as well as Human Rights, where she critically examines the systems that perpetuate injustice. This passion for uncovering inequality shapes her approach to writing, where she believes journalism's true essence lies in its commitment to humanism. Outside of her studies, Dominique is an avid musician, playing guitar and singing in her band, and a lover of the arts, often found at the cinema or exploring museums. On sunny days, you can find her relaxing in Stadspark with friends or swimming in the sea whenever the opportunity arises.

Clémence has always loved reading and creating imaginary worlds. It led her to travel around countries with a magical atmosphere, calm landscapes and birds noises. She developed in parallel a huge interest for environment and green practices, a subject that is really relevant for her. Dreaming to deepen her involvement in that subject, maybe working as a journalist for an international institution, she joined the UNSA as a Maastricht Diplomat writer, hoping to contribute to make a journal full of diverse perspectives. She is currently an International Business student at Maastricht University, enjoying discovering the diversity of Maastricht as well as the calm of the city.

Brooke is a third-year student at University College Maastricht, specializing in social psychology and media studies. She has a passion for two types of pool: swimming and billiards. She also enjoys reading and writing stories. Recently, after investing unprecedented time into watching pop culture video essays and reading Substack articles, she became inspired to contribute to the ongoing discourse around internet usage. She is eager to explore and analyze online behaviors within the larger framework of social phenomena.

Jet is a third-year student at University College Maastricht. After having followed a wide array of courses across disciplines, she has declared her main interest to be international relations and diplomacy, with a specific focus on peace and conflict studies and international security. Apart from doing university work, she spends her time cooking, baking, tutoring high school kids, making music, and travelling. Currently, she is keeping herself occupied by studying at University College London for one semester. Following the end of this semester, she will move back to Maastricht to finish her bachelor’s degree.

Simone is a 22-year-old FASoS student from Italy. He has just graduated in European Studies and is attending a master’s in the same subject to specialise in the field of international relations. Having spent part of his childhood in Germany, his experience abroad at a young age has sparked his interest in stories from around the world and their impact on everyday life, leading him to take an interest in (geo)politics and journalism. He spends most of his free time watching football, exercising, reading, and catching up with his friends’ music recommendations. It is his first year at the Maastricht Diplomat, and he is looking forward to providing you with some good reads!

Bas is a Dutch second year student at University College Maastricht, focussing on politics, history and philosophy but passionate about much more. You can either find him studying or procrastinating doing so by going to the cinema, playing board games or guitar, reading a novel, taking pictures or chatting with his friends. Most of all, however, you can find him lost in thought which is why, as a new writer, he is excited to put those thoughts to paper and share his opinions and ideas as he tries to make sense of the big and the small in the world.

Mahault is 23 years old and is currently in her second year of the master’s in International Laws. Writing has always been a constant in her life, even when she didn’t have time for anything else. When she picks up her pen, it’s often to navigate the inherent tensions, conflicts and oppositions in life; because isn’t the point of writing to create bridges? And by bridges, she also means making connections between seemingly innocuous events and piecing things together like a puzzle (although that could just be the consequences of her obsession with Professor Layton games when she was a kid).

Alex is a twenty years-old, third year European Law School student from Belgium. She is currently on a six-month exchange in Uppsala, Sweden. Resident knitter, reader and writer, she's always on the lookout for something new to discover, whether it be a new place, new subjects, activities and new music or tv. She's looking forward to sharing her curiosity for the world through the MD!

Jule is a third-year student at University College Maastricht, focusing on sustainability and media studies. In her free time, there are three main things she loves to do: 1. Playing football or watching her favorite team play in the Bundesliga. 2. Reading one of the many novels stacking up in her room. 3. Cooking yummy vegan meals while listening to Pink Floyd. She has always enjoyed writing and is looking forward to contributing to the MD with her interest, ready to share her opinions and drop some facts.

Violette is a French third-year student from UCM. She studies mainly political science and international relations, but her interests diverge from sociological studies to literature. Currently in Seoul, South Korea, Violette is discovering a new culture and is eager to write about what she experiences.

As a Podcast lover, Fin is always looking for new stories and good ideas on how to tell them better. After a degree in graphic design, he has connected his passions for society and technology in the Bachelor Digital Society. His past work includes short films, graphic design, and photography. As part of the Audiovisual team at the Maastricht Diplomat he has experience in telling complex stories as well as fast paced news reporting. This year he will draw from his study abroad, to write about Norwegian culture and many other topics. In his free time, he loves climbing, riding his bike, and making music.

Charlotte was born in Amsterdam and grew up in Ljubljana, Slovenia. In 2023 she moved to Maastricht to pursue her dream of studying psychology. What lured her in were these timely questions: why do humans interact with each other as they do, are we free if behavior is predictable and what are the delicate complexities of the brain? Besides her fascination for psychology Charlotte loves art that provokes, namely poetry and film- but really anything at all. She hopes to be able to explore her various current fascinations and establish many more through taking part in the Maastricht Diplomat audiovisual team!

Emma is third year student at UCM focussing on environmental economics. Besides her passion for the environment she is also passionate about the literature and the arts, she has been writing for as long as she can remember. She is excited to be a writer for the MD so that she can write some more.

Sena is a 19 year old European Law student from Turkey. Although passionate about the act of writing in general, she is more specifically interested in understanding how economic problems, policy decisions and legal issues affect a community and the world as a whole. As it’s her first year in Maastricht Diplomat, she is looking forward to learning about and contributing to the organization.

Zety is a Hungarian second-year student at UCM, specialising in Law and Economics. Since a young age, he's been an avid debater and has always been keen on understanding the big pictures in life. In his free time, he likes to cook, hike and is trying to learn the guitar. He is excited to contribute to the Diplomat with a critical lense in mind.

Jack is a Zambian/American Digital Society student at Maastricht university. Constantly moving around international communities throughout the world while growing up, Jack has an open yet possibly chaotic energy that he spreads where he goes. As part of the Audiovisual team at Maastricht Diplomat, he is interested in gaining engagement with students and other members of the university community to try and understand what Maastricht student culture really is.

Celia is a Belgian-Spanish second year student at University College Maastricht, focusing on International Relations and Political Science, with a passion for history. She loves creating long-lasting memories through videos and albums to share with her family and friends. This year, she hopes to explore the world of podcasting and documentary-making. Along with her team, she plans to contribute to the spread of honest journalism while hoping to bring even more creativity and enthusiasm to the visual storytelling branch of The Maastricht Diplomat.

Emma is a second-year student at University College Maastricht born in France, focusing on international relations, security and peace studies, with additional interests in law and sociology. An aspiring journalist from an early age with a passion for political and cultural issues, Emma enjoys exploring different perspectives through writing. She also has a strong appreciation for the arts, a deep love for literature, and enjoys capturing stories with a camera.

Clara is a second year European Law student at Maastricht University. She is eager to learn more about journalism and to be a part of the Maastricht Diplomat team. She is very interested in international relations and world politics, and is excited about the opportunity to share this interest with members of the team and readers of the Maastricht Diplomat

Ella is a 20 year old German-American second year student at UCM. There she studies global conflicts studies, with a focus on gender-based violence and philosophy. She is most passionate about street photography as capturing the uniqueness and beauty of others helps her make sense of the world! She hopes to bring this investigative passion to the Diplomat in her writing of investigative pieces in a Maastricht Context, more creative leaning pieces where she hopes to include her photography and the occasional report and opinion piece.

Calista is a second-year Global Studies student with an interest in cultures, identity, and human rights. Originally from Belgium, moving around throughout her childhood sparked her curiosity about the ways different societies interact with one another. She is particularly passionate about exploring global issues and their relationships with legal systems. When not researching or drafting articles, you’ll find her reading in the park, getting coffee with her friends, or studying at the library.

Charlotte is a third year French student at University College Maastricht, primarily focusing on International Relations and Law. She has recently swapped the cozy climate of Maastricht for the bright chaos of Washington, D.C., where she is particularly thrilled to cover on-site events related to the 2024 presidential elections, and explore their impacts on global politics.

Virgile is a French second-year bachelor’s student at University College Maastricht. He is currently enrolled in a Sustainability minor, showcasing his strong passion for pressing environmental and sustainability issues. Virgile also vibrates to the sound of music, creating his own compositions inspired by a wide range of genres, from house to indie music.

Faustine is a french second year student at the University College of Maastricht. There she is focusing on international relations with additional interest in litterature, history and philosophy. Faustine enjoys to delve into different perspectives when writing. She is also really interested by cinema and history of arts.

Elide is a 19-year-old Italian girl who decided to continue her studies abroad after high school, pursuing her interests in International and European Law. Fascinated by the world of journalism, she decided to join the Maastricht Diplomat this year and is very excited to share her insights on the world. Although captivated by many things, the discovery of an old film camera, which belonged to her dad, made her particularly attached to the world of film photography. Even though not an expert and mainly "freestyling" when taking pictures, she loves capturing how she perceives the world through a lens. When she puts away her film cameras, she usually holds a book or a travel map.

Carolina was born in Peru but grew up in Germany. In 2017, she embarked on a backpacking adventure that eventually led her to study in the Netherlands. She continues to navigate the intricacies of building a home in different places. Hence, she is especially interested in what shapes culture and identity. She loves to explore how we can improve as a society and is passionate about social justice and sustainability. Other passions involve food, art, music festivals, hiking and overthinking. During her travels, Carolina learnt about different issues from multiple perspectives and is determined to keep expanding her horizon. Pursuing a research masters in Arts, Science and Technology Studies enables her to delve into many of her various interests and draw from different academic fields. By joining the Maastricht Diplomat, she hopes to present her interests and research efforts in an accessible manner and channel her love for creative writing to make a positive impact.

Mark Sijtsma is a Dutch student at UCM with a strong passion about for International Relations, sparked by his love for travel, cultural exploration and geopolitics. At the Maastricht Diplomat, he focuses on bring attention to lesser-known geopolitical developments and uncovering their broader consequences.

Jade is currently in her third year of a Bachelor’s program in European Studies. She is originally from Paris, France, and, with a strong interest in geopolitics, art, and communication, she is eager to join the Maastricht Diplomat to share her thoughts and perspectives on various societal topics.

Patrycja is a third-year Global Studies student. She is passionate about geopolitics and international migration - she wants to understand the world around her and explore the stories that shape it. Journalism has been something that her younger self has dreamed of, and by becoming a writer in The Maastricht Diplomat she is able not only to make this dream come true but also contribute to a platform that values thoughtful dialogue and diverse perspectives.

Beatrice is a nineteen-year-old artist and poetess who sources her life from the beauty lingering in its crevices, most often in classical literature paperbacks and art museums, evening walks in Autumn and too many cups of coffee getting her through the busy days. Having grown up in Lithuania and attended high school and Maastricht University in the Netherlands, she has gathered courage and inspiration from those who supported her artistic inclinations (thanks, grandma) to cherry-pick daydreams and stories and ideas that live in her mind and capture them in words. She is excited to share some of her works with the Maastricht Diplomat!

Lisa is in her final year of a Bachelor’s in European Studies at Maastricht University, where she has spent the past few years navigating the intricacies of international politics, security, and social policy. Writing has always been her way of making sense of things: she loves finding the connections and links between various subjects like politics, economics, and diplomacy; as anything rooted in the human experience is worth understanding. She has lived and studied in Italy, the Netherlands, and France, picking up not just different languages but also a deep appreciation for how culture and politics shape each other. For her, writing isn’t just about telling a story, it’s about putting the pieces together, much like a puzzle of real life.

Esther is a French student at UCM, where she focuses on Politics of the Middle East and Psychology of sexuality (surprising combo, right!). She is passionate about the reciprocal influence of politics and religion on gender and sexuality. She hopes to share her interests in The Diplomat, by writing about politics with an innovative way, focusing on women and sexuality. She is currently doing a semester abroad in Leeds, England.