As the cherry blossoms in Kungsträdgården bloom back to life and Stockholm slowly wakes up from its winter slumber, it is no surprise that us global health students are also coming alive. With increasingly bright days ahead and the final stretch of the semester circling us like a great white shark, what better way to welcome spring and summer than to do one last spotlight of a remarkable classmate—I know, I’m sad too, but hey, I’ll be back with more one day! Welcome to Aidana’s student spotlight, where you will see but a glimpse of her excellence.

How old are you, where are you from, and what were you doing before coming to KI?

I’m 30 and from Kazakhstan. Since the height of COVID-19 and before starting this programme, I worked with the World Health Organization in communications roles. That experience placed me on a steep learning curve, building expertise at the intersection of public health, health policy and strategic communications at both country and regional levels.

What led you to global health?

My path into global health was not entirely straightforward. I studied Political Science and International Relations and later trained in journalism. When the COVID-19 pandemic began, I moved from news reporting to supporting the WHO office in Kazakhstan with risk communication and community engagement. It felt meaningful to contribute to work that directly affected people’s health.

Later, I moved to a regional role at the WHO European Centre for Primary Health Care, working with a small team supporting primary health care reforms across Europe and Central Asia. Their dedication and high standards were incredibly motivating. While I enjoyed communications, I realized I also wanted to be closer to designing the projects themselves. That realisation led me to pursue this Master’s programme to strengthen my theoretical foundation.

What have you enjoyed the most about the programme so far?

We’re almost finishing the first year, and for me the greatest asset of the programme has been our cohort. My classmates bring perspectives from all over the world and from many different disciplines. Many of them have extensive experience working in health systems in their own countries, which creates rich discussions both inside and outside the classroom. Having health providers, health administrators, pharmacists and people with social science backgrounds adds a depth you simply cannot get from textbooks alone.

Global health is, by definition, global. You can’t fully understand it if you only hear one perspective or one way of doing things. It also keeps you humble. Sometimes someone asks a question so thoughtful and shaped by their experience back home that it completely reframes how you think about a problem. Those moments are probably the most valuable part of the programme.

What’s your favourite thing to do in Sweden?

Sweden has made me appreciate the simple pleasures in life. Coming from the world’s largest landlocked country, I especially enjoy being so close to the sea. One of my favourite things to do is taking long walks along the water, whether around Stockholm’s islands or along the coast. There’s something very calming about it.

I’ve also learned to appreciate simply sitting in the sun when it appears. From November through March, sunshine can be rare. So when it does show up, it can completely lift your day. And of course, I enjoy exploring cafés, trying new pastries and occasionally escaping the city for a walk in the forest.

If you could give your past self any advice, what would it be?

Perhaps the biggest lesson I would love to learn early on is that any progress is rarely linear. There were many moments in my life when I felt stuck. The excitement of starting a new job or hobby eventually turns into routine and sometimes it feels like you’re running in a hamster wheel. Day to day, it can be hard to see whether anything is actually changing. But growth often happens quietly. You don’t notice it until you step back and look at the bigger picture. This programme has helped me realise how much those small steps have added up over time.

In short

I think it’s fair to say that Aidana is, with no exaggeration, quite remarkable. As are Irene, Robin, Saifa, Seela, and Donald, whose stories have come to characterise what our cohort’s essence is, as well as what I meant to showcase with this Student Spotlight series. Aidana referred to our programme colleagues as her greatest asset from the programme, and I couldn’t agree more. This series of blogs never once stopped leaving me in awe of those I share a classroom with—I hope that it has done the same for you!

As the first year of the programme comes hastily to an end, I can’t help but feel a mix of happiness and excitement tainted with a bit of anticipated nostalgia. In the blink of an eye, we will all be off to write our thesis projects across the world and, soon after, graduating from KI. Let us all find a mountain range as gorgeous as the one near Almaty where we can gaze at our bright futures ahead! As always, stay tuned for more (next up, a blog on Swedish legalities AKA permits, personnumer, etc…) and please be excited about this one simple fact I keep turning to when life feels like too much: you don’t know what’s going to happen next. Anything can happen, quite literally. How powerful is that?