Shahbaz Kamran Khan

“I attribute my passion for international politics to my multicultural background and upbringing. Growing up, we moved a lot and I consider myself very lucky to have had the privilege of being exposed to different perspectives, cultures and traditions after having lived on three different continents. I believe that instilled in me a deep curiosity to understand the global relationships we are all a part of.

As for ‘why Surrey?’ - I studied for my undergraduate degree here and of all the places I have lived, Guildford amazes me with just how quickly it can become a part of you. The campus and the community here are beautiful. The people I met at the University of Surrey Boat Club (USBC) are now friends for life and those initial few meetings I had with the programme directors, where they gave me the confidence to choose this course, were vital for clarity in what is an uncertain time for every student. All of that convinced me that there would really be nowhere else like it.

"Looking back, coming here was one of the best decisions I have ever made."

The true strength of this course is the academic staff. Coming onto this course, it was my first time ever engaging with these concepts as my background was in biosciences, but the staff made the transition possible. They were super approachable and always willing to answer questions, I always felt like I could turn to them when I had doubts, to seek advice on career prospects or even just explore ideas in general. They care and I can say unreservedly that when you come here, you will leave with mentors for life. That’s invaluable.

Surrey has played a massive part in my life. I feel like I grew into myself during my time here and am very grateful for how the community here embraced me. The learning curve from secondary school to university is massive but the balance between having the freedom to fail and the support you receive to get back up is struck so well at Surrey that it helped foster confidence and independence in me. I’m grateful to not just be leaving with the tools to understand the world better, but also the ability to learn about myself, which is equally important to do.

I feel immense pride when I say that Surrey is my alma mater and will always be indebted to this place for what it gave me; my home away from home."

Discover more about our courses in politics and international relations, including our MSc International Relations (International Intervention).