Humans of IHS is a mini-portrait series that features the people who make IHS a unique place. Many of the urban professionals with common roots at IHS, often describe it as a very welcoming, familiar space, where they not only acquired valuable knowledge for their career, but also formed solid ties and friendships with their peers. This is what drove us to create this mini-series: the wish to give others a glimpse of the amazing people that make IHS special.
Ahmed is currently doing the Urban Environment, Sustainability and Climate Change Master track at IHS, Erasmus University. He is an Egyptian student in the 2020/2021 cohort, working as a GIS analyst.
“My dream job is to work with GIS and help to reduce the impacts of climate change. Becoming a GIS specialist at the Environment Department of the United Nations is definitely on my list.”
When asked about the single urban issue he would solve, Ahmed emphasizes that heavy rains are rather harmful in Egypt. “Every time it rains hard, we have a massive problem that threatens people’s lives. Even though these floods seriously affect the country financially, we did not solve this issue yet, so it would be great to tackle this problem worldwide and save lives.”
His favourite IHS memory was the F2F Debate in the Urban Governance, Policy, Planning and Public-Private Partnerships (UGPPP) course. “It was a well-prepared debate, and the teachers were amazing in organizing it.” He also mentions the award ceremony of the sunset photo competition (that he won) as the event was held online but still resembled a real-life ceremony.
Although the Urban Management & Development Master programme is a very intense one-year course, Ahmed highlights that besides studying, it was also about learning and growing with his classmates.
“The variety of people helped me to get to know much more about other cultures and the way they think. The blended learning method provided us space for various online activities, so IHS was definitely the best choice during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
When asked about the essential items in the Netherlands, Ahmed immediately says bike as he wanted to experience the advanced Dutch biking infrastructure. “I would also add a waterproof jacket as the weather here is unpredictable, so that a light waterproof jacket can protect you in any season.”