Class of 2021

Kuseme Iseh (Comparative and International Dispute Resolution Law LLM, 2021)

The journey to my LLM degree at Queen Mary University of London has come to an end. This is me appreciating God for this milestone. Thank you to Chevening Awards who funded this dream and to my Professors at Queen Mary University of London who helped me actualise this dream. Let me specially thank Professor Loukas Mistelis and Professor Stavros Brekoulakis for their excellence in knowledge delivery.

This journey was not without challenges. There were days I questioned my knowledge, mindset, mental state and even sanity. Some days I broke down in tears, other times I fell into depression, but in all, I stood up and continued to show up, because whatever has a beginning must have an end.

At the end, I can surely say it was a worthwhile experience. Studying in London was a wholesome experience that transformed my entire being and I have only come to realise how much more we take home apart from the Certificate. The knowledge, experience, stories, network, friendship, lessons, are all in the package.

Giota Kourti (Media and Telecommunications law LLM, 2021)

I am happy to announce my graduation from Queen Mary University of London with distinction in Technology, Media and Telecommunications law.

I am grateful for the knowledge I gained, the friendships I made and the new challenges and possibilities after the end of my studies. Special thanks to my family for the support.

José Ángel Sánchez Villegas (International Dispute Resolution Law LLM, 2021)

Caps up in the air!

Extremely pleased to graduate last week from Queen Mary University of London /School of Law at Tobacco Dock London, especially in the company of my dear colleagues Tugba Gurbuz, Asena Filkova, and Paul Kinninmont.

This marks the end of two outstanding years in the LL.M. in International Dispute Resolution, in which we all learned a bit more about the fascinating field of international arbitration. However, the journey continues now.

Thanks to all my friends and classmates Viktor Rykov, Deepti Panda, Dr Robin Callender Smith, Andrei Vrabie, Daniel M. Puyo V, Carmen Márquez Luzardo, Alba Palomera Fort, ADITYA I S, Olivia Kyarimpa Matovu, Alastair Livesey, and the others I may have forgotten (apologies!).

Thanks also to our teachers and lecturers for such an interesting and thought-provoking course: Remy Gerbay, Norah Gallagher, Agnieszka Ason, Mohamed Y. Mahayni, Denis Parchajev, Viraj Bhide, with special thanks to Dr. Javier García Olmedo for supervising my dissertation on the MFN clause.

I will now become a QMUL's proud alumnus.

Oladotun Gbolagunte (Commercial and Corporate Law, LLM, 2021)

This weekend, I did a thing!

I attended my graduation ceremony from the Queen Mary University of London (a member of the Russell Group) with an LLM degree in Commercial and Corporate Law.

As I ascended the stage, a lot of memories flooded my mind in a couple seconds. The memory of arriving at the height of the pandemic, the memory of the numerous virtual classes, the memory of continuously missing my family and grinding through a program that was intellectually stimulating, yet very challenging! I caught myself in the last thought (waving my parents goodbye at the departure gate in Lagos, Nigeria) when I was ushered to the stage.

All of a sudden I felt very nervous as my name was called, putting one foot before the other whilst breaking a smile, I proceeded towards the Principal for the famous Covid-19 created elbow-pump. Then he opened his mouth and uttered “Well done my boy”! That was all the assurance I needed that made me realize, I had done a thing (again).

Now it’s time to put that knowledge to work!

Asena Filkova (international Dispute Resolution LLM, 2021)

Lovely grand finale of an enlightening run.

Delighted to finally meet some of the classmates Tugba Gurbuz (International Dispute Resolution LLM, 2021), José Ángel Sánchez Villegas (International Dispute Resolution LLM, 2021) and Paul Kinninmont (International Dispute Resolution LLM, 2021); hope to meet others in the future.

Thanks again to family and friends for their support. Special thanks to my dissertation supervisor Denis Parchajevv (Queen Mary University of London Honorary Lecturer) and Sylvia Kummer (University Lecturer at University of Vienna), Ludko, Pavol P. , Senior Researcher at Nordes Bank Investment Management, and Pavel Zuzula (Deputy Project Director at PORR AG) for their help/backing.

Callista Telphon (International Business Law LLM, 2021)

This past year has been a real challenge but I’m proud to say I have graduated from Queen Mary University with a Masters in International Business Law.

The learning experiences were delivered by amazing professors, such as Theodora Christou or Johanna Gibson, who gave me the desire to continue studying and eventually become a solicitor.

I am also thankful to have been given the opportunity to join the qLegal clinic. I had the chance to help someone develop their business and their ideas, all the while being supervised by a great solicitor from Baker McKenzie, who was always there to guide us.

I want to thank my family and friends especially, who were there to support me through this course. Even though they weren’t always physically present, I knew I could always count on them.

Romina Araghian (Laws LLM, 2021)

I am very pleased to be graduating from one of the top 10 law schools in the UK with a distinction/1st in my master’s degree. I’ve also managed to exceed my own expectations by consistently achieving a distinction for every module that I completed. Aside from hard work, this is fundamentally owing to having incredibly supportive professors who made their best efforts to ensure our education was not dramatically impacted by the pandemic, so I am very grateful to Queen Mary University of London for this.

Maria Francesca Autuori (Intellectual Property Law LLM, 2021)

I am delighted to share that I have graduated from Queen Mary University of London with a Distinction classification in my LLM in Intellectual Property Law.

It has been an extremely challenging and exciting journey that allows me to start a new incredible adventure with the big family of Prevayl.

The best is yet to come!

Nikhilesh Ravikrishnan (Criminal Justice LLM, 2021)

I am delighted to share the news that I have graduated my Masters in Law from Queen Mary University of London, 2020-2021 with a Merit classification. This journey which I have successfully embarked upon wouldn’t have been possible without the constant support of my Professors at Queen Mary University of London and my parents. I would further like to thank my guide Niovi Vavoula.

Looking forward to new challenges!

Valentina Leskoschek (Technology, Media and Telecommunications Law LLM, 2021)

I am extremely proud and honoured to graduate from Queen Mary University this year. The year hasn’t been easy for all of us, and when I started this journey I wasn’t sure how much I was going to enjoy studying during a pandemic. Queen Mary and all the professors showed an extreme dedication and passion in their subject which made it an unforgettable experience even though we were barely able to visit in-person classes. The Team of Queen Mary made the biggest effort to provide students with the best experience and world class teaching. Being able to participate in extracurricular activities and internships even in a lockdown showed the quality of the institution.

Normally I am not a person who is wears merchandising sweaters from her unversity but with Queen Mary I felt such a strong community and loyalty that I’m proud to wear a Queen Mary University of London Hoodie in order to show everybody where I studied.

I am proud to go back home with a merit classification and a job I was offered even before I graduated just because of the great image of the University and the Master’s degree from Queen Mary. I am glad I made the choice to move abroad to complete an LLM and it was a pleasure to be a Queen Mary University student!

Merdan Altyyev (Banking and Finance LLM, 2021)

I am happy to announce that I completed with distinction my LLM in Banking and Finance Law at Queen Mary University of London! It was an amazing, exciting and challenging year! I also got a distinction for my dissertation on "Imposing direct oversight of critical cloud service providers in the UK financial sector".

I was admired by the professionalism, enthusiasm and dedication of the academics that made this journey so exciting. I’m grateful for their enormous efforts and valuable knowledge that they shared with us, in particular - Prof. John Walker, Prof. Rosa Maria Lastra with her unbelievably interesting guests, Prof. Anne Flanagan, Dr Andromachi Georgosouli, Prof. Lukas Mistelis and my dissertation supervisor Prof. Charles Proctor.

Besides, I am grateful for the excellent work and assistance of the QMUL PG Law Careers team that arranged multiple hands-on sessions on practical aspects of career planning and preparation, meetings with legal practitioners and an outstanding mentorship programme. It was a great pleasure to be a mentee of Yannis Manuelides who shared his valuable professional, academic and career advice for what I am thankful for and highly appreciate his support.

Finally, my dream to study in one of the leading UK universities was only possible due to the Chevening scholarship!

Siera Skendo (Public International Law LLM, 2021)

I have officially graduated from my accelerated Public International Law Master of Laws (LL.M) at Queen Mary University of London. When I started my classes in February 2021, I had no idea this journey would be so intensive, yet so rewarding. In a rapid seven months, I had the chance to expand my knowledge on new areas of law, build on previous ones, and write papers on topics I am highly passionate about.

I am happy to be graduating with Distinction (overall), as well as with Distinction on every single course I attended, including my Dissertation. There, I analysed the international public health response framework, the International Health Regulations (IHR) (2005) and the World Health Organization (WHO) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Ultimately, I argued that reforms are indispensable in both WHO and the legal framework of the IHR, for better and more efficient responses towards public health emergencies of international concern. In simpler words, reforms are crucial for avoiding health emergencies of COVID-19-scale in the future. For it, I had to dive deep in international public health law and global health governance; fields of law I had never explored before. In the end, however, I was very glad to research and write in a topic that is highly relevant, timely and of paramount importance for our lives.

I remain forever thankful to my family, whose support lifted me up every time I felt down during this journey. Their love is and will always be the drive behind any of my achievements. Lastly, I am also very thankful to my supervisors at our Selimi Defence team, who have been incredibly supportive and have welcomed me so warmly. The last few months with them have been exceedingly rewarding and equally exciting to me.

In the meantime, I look forward to our in-person graduation ceremony in London.

Maria Barraco (Human Rights Law LLM, 2021)

I’m proud to announce that I got distinction in all of my grades at the LLM in Human Rights at Queen Mary University of London, including my dissertation titled "‘Engendering’ compensations for victims of human trafficking for sexual exploitation: lessons from Argentina".
Thanks to all my professors at QMUL, and to all my colleagues and friends who made this path so enjoyable. And thanks to the Chevening Awards for making this possible.
Special thanks to you, amigas: Ilvana Dedja Marie Michielin Veronica Valles

Senat Halilaj (Banking and Finance Law LLM, 2021)

I am delighted to share that I have graduated from Queen Mary University of London acquiring my Master of Laws in Banking and Finance Law with Distinction.

I would like to thank my professors Rosa María Lastra, George Alexander Walker, Rodrigo Olivares-Caminal, Dr. Avv. Daniele D'Alvia, Ioannis Kokkoris and Katrien Morbee for sharing their knowledge and experience with us and for all their selfless efforts in making this journey a fantastic experience.

Marianna Fedelesh (Commercial and Corporate Law LLM, 2021)

I am truly honoured to graduate in Commercial and Corporate Law LLM at Queen Mary University of London with a Distinction. Without hesitation, this was a worthwhile and incredible journey despite all the challenges of these unprecedented times. I am endlessly grateful to the exceptional teaching staff at CCLS, especially for the readiness to share with us valuable practical insights into M&As and commercial transactions. Thus, completing an LLM at Queen Mary University of London is a valuable addition to my previous professional background as a corporate and M&A lawyer in Ukraine. I am also humbled to become a part of the Queen Mary’s Centre for Commercial Law Studies (CCLS) community.

Aubrey Collins (Environmental Law LLM, 2021)

After a strange year studying for my Environmental Law LLM in London during a pandemic, I am so pleased to announce that I have graduated with a distinction! I have further been awarded a distinction for my Dissertation focused on wildlife crime in international law. The paper discussed the recent proposed protocol to amend UNTOC to include illegal wildlife trade by conducting a critical analysis on international law mechanisms and the underlying causes behind the illicit trade.

I am so grateful for all the support I have received during this time, including that from my dissertation supervisor Rebecca Bates whose insight proved invaluable. I now look forward to continuing to specialise in environmental crime and preventing illegal wildlife trade.

Raphaël Ribeaud (Law and Finance MSc, 2021)

I am delighted to share that I have completed my MSc in Law and Finance at the Queen Mary University of London and will be graduating with a distinction.

The rationale for undertaking an MSc rather than an LLM was to broaden my knowledge while keeping in touch with my legal roots.

I studied finance and economics related law modules that built on my existing corporate finance and insolvency knowledge which enabled me to confidently navigate my courses.

My Finance module selection had an emphasis on data analysis and modelling. It was a steep learning curve for someone unfamiliar with big data/machine learning, but what an interesting field!

Finally, I would like to thank all of my professors, friends and family for their support throughout this strange year, it was a wonderful experience. I now look forward to the next challenge!

Ariane Machavoine (Comparative and International Dispute Resolution LLM, 2021)

I am pleased to announce that I graduated from the LLM Comparative and International Dispute Resolution as Valedictorian. I would like to thank Queen Mary University of London and especially Stavros Brekoulakis and Norah Gallagher for the high quality teaching. I am continuing on the path of #internationalarbitration and #energydisputes.

Kihara Mercy Wairimu (International and Comparative Alternative Dispute Resolution, LLM 2021) 

Last weekend I graduated from the Queen Mary University of London with a Master of Laws Degree in International and Comparative Alternative Dispute Resolution.
 
As I reflect, I remember packing my bags at the height of the Covid 19 pandemic and heading off to a new jurisdiction I had never been to nor had any friends, family or other relations.
 
I would be lying if I say I wasn't anxious or even a little scared of what the move meant to me and for my career. One year down the line, I am proud of the achievements I have attained and the resilience I exhibited in getting to where I am today.
 
Special thanks to my family, the community I have formed here and Robert Gateru who were instrumental in my journey.

Johannes Varga (Laws LLM, 2021)

I'm delighted to announce I graduated from Queen Mary University of London with Merits in my LL.M. Laws.
 
As this has been an especially challenging year, I am incredibly grateful for the support I received along the way and enjoyed being able to share my graduation with loved ones.
 
The people I've had the opportunity to meet and the excellent teaching I received has made studying in the UK a fantastic academic and personal experience.
 
I am looking forward to a new, exciting chapter of my life.

Félix Fernando Aguilera Revelles (Commercial and Corporate Law LLM, 2021)

I am truly honoured to say that I have graduated from the prestigious Queen Mary University of London in Commercial and Corporate Law with Merit (68.2). 

The past two years have been quite difficult for all students and professors around the world due to Covid. But, most of all, 2021 was a particularly tough and painful year for me as I lost my father in the middle of the LL.M. It was not easy to find the strength every day to focus and study during my mourning, and losing a parent at such a young age is particularly hard. 
Nonetheless, I am proud to have completed my LLM and I am sure my father is very proud as well. 
 
Getting my degree from QMUL was one of the best decisions I have ever made and it was such an incredible learning experience. Indeed, it gave me the opportunity to study modules in areas of law that I have always loved, such as Competition Law and M&A. 
 
I would like to use this moment to thank my family and friends for their constant support and motivation. In particular, a huge thanks to my mother and grandparents (Pisito and Pisita), two incredibly powerful women and such a wise man. It is thanks to your unconditional support, all the sacrifices, and the great dedication that you have made to give me a better life, that I grew to become the person I am today and to be where I am today. You gave me the strength and confidence to carry on when I felt lost and down, particularly during these last painful 10 months. I am very grateful and honoured to have you in my life. 
 
In addition, I cannot forget my friend, Natalia Bellomo You have been a constant support and have had an incredible impact in my life since I met you in Paris. For those who live abroad, they know how friends do become family. You are family to me Natalia and I could have never done this without your immense support. Thank you with all my heart. 
 
I would also like to say a big thank you to my all professors for their support and motivation throughout the LLM, for helping me improve my academic legal skills, for their incredible teaching methods, guidance, and caring attitude, and for their dedication particularly in such hard times (Covid) where all the lectures were online. Thank you!