What were you doing before starting the Master in Urban Studies?
I was studying International Relations. I was always working in parallel, and I got my first internship during my second year of my bachelor’s. It was in an NGO that was working on building renovation. While I was responsible for policy, this was my first step into urban matters. At university, I really enjoyed political and economic geography and especially topics about cities. So, these interests together drew me to apply for an urban studies master’s. But when I started to search for master's programmes, I noticed that a lot of places require an architectural or technical background, which I didn't have. This master's seemed very inclusive because you could apply without those skills. I really wanted to switch from international relations and go deeper into urban-related stuff.
How was your experience with the master's?
I really enjoyed it, but it was not easy. I think we didn’t have a happy medium: either for some of us it was super challenging, or for some of us it was doable and not a big deal. For me, it was challenging because it was a switch. When in class they started speaking about certain authors that everybody knows, I had no clue what was going on. So, of course, I felt that I had to catch up. But I still enjoyed it; I had a nice time in Brussels and still have some friends from the master's. On the personal side, it was easier because I had already moved abroad for my bachelor's and I was already used to studying in English. For those people who went abroad for the first time for the master, they felt it was harder.
Which trajectory did you follow in the Master in Urban Studies?
During my second year, I got an internship in the European Commission. I felt quite lucky that I could follow a lot of courses in the first year because I was afraid that I wouldn't have enough money to stay in Brussels for two years. When I realized that I had to move to Brussels, for me it was something like mission impossible, because I knew the prices in the city and they were completely incompatible with my student income. So, I tried to put as many courses as possible in one year to be able to finance it somehow. But thanks to this, in the second year, I got the chance to work full-time in the Commission and went to the evening courses in MUS. This was also very good; I found it quite good that, within the program, you could really adapt your course schedule and the load between the different semesters because for me it was crucial from an income point of view.
"I found it quite good that, within the program, you could really adapt your course schedule and the load between the different semesters."
How was your experience combining studying and working?
It went quite well, I would say, because I was quite good at planning everything in advance. Of course, it wasn't easy, and I wouldn't want to go back to this, but it wasn't impossible. And for me, it was easier because I was lucky enough to work on the subjects I studied. So if, for example, I had to work as a barista or in a restaurant, like I used to before, it would have been much harder. But when you are already in the environment, you can kind of fill the gaps, you know, somewhere from study, somewhere from work.
How was your transition to your first job after studying?
When I was finishing the master's, I wrote to a German NGO based in Berlin. They focus on Eastern Europe and housing, and as I’m from there, had the linguistic skills, and experience in the field, I reached out to them. They had no job offerings, but they knew the Latvian NGO that I was remotely working for at the time, and they replied positively. So, I had a part-time job in Berlin while continuing the Latvian remote position. After a while, I finished with my Latvian job, got a bigger contract at the Housing Initiative for Eastern Europe (IWO) in Berlin, and got another job at Climate Alliance. I now still work in these two NGOS related to cities, buildings, and climate action. I also work a bit on policy, regional and urban policy. I coordinate European-funded projects like LIFE, Horizon, and Interreg.
How is your experience with combining two jobs?
It’s a very conscious decision because it gives you a bigger perspective. I learn more. Both of my jobs know each other and actually they quite like each other. Even though I work on the same topic or similar topics, I have much bigger networks and more perspectives, I would say.
What is a skill you apply in your work life?
Honestly, I think the most useful skill I learned is to be able to find the solution for something which seems impossible as fast as possible. But I cannot say that university prepares you for life at work; it simply doesn’t. It’s always good to have a theoretical background and have some methodology. But there is theory, and there’s real life. And if people understanding the theory do not understand real life, it’s never going to work, so I think the combination of the two actually is the best.
"The most useful skill I learned is to be able to find the solution for something which seems impossible as fast as possible."
Do you have any recommendations for future students?
I would say: start to work or offer yourself as a volunteer as early as possible. Not to make yourself stressed and, you know, have some overload problems, just a few hours a week is enough, because a real-life experience is something that pays off. Unfortunately, you can learn all the theory in this world, but if you are blind to reality and to the reality of other people, and for example, the cities you will work with, or stakeholders you will work with… it's not gonna fly.
Is there anything you would have wanted different in the master?
Masters should be about learning more from the people who are around you. I think they try to do it quite well, but maybe it could be done better. You choose bachelor's programmes for the knowledge; nobody around you knows anything. In master's programmes, you really have the asset of learning from the people around you. So it’s nice that now there are real-life projects with real clients. I also think that, for professors, it is very important and hard at the same time not to be locked in academia, because cities are real; it's important to see them as they are.
How would you describe urban studies?
My explanation when relatives ask me what I do and what I studied is that I help cities the way I can. It depends on the project, on the stakeholders, and the people. Sometimes in project meetings you can end up in the middle of nowhere in Sweden and take part in the midsummer celebration of a small town, and you will be doing it with them because that's also part of, you know, being respectful and helpful. So yeah, when people ask me to describe urban studies, I just say: I try to understand and help cities the best way I can.
The interview was conducted in April 2026.