Orator law student in Oxford University Summer Programme

UNIVERSITY of KwaZuluNatal (UKZN) second-year law student, Ethan Chetty, has been selected among 15 of the world’s most promising students in politics, law and commerce to take part in the Summer Programme on International Affairs at Oxford University in England.

Chetty said: “I was invited to apply for the programme by an executive member of the Oxford Diplomacy and Geopolitics Forum, who recognised my potential through my achievements in international debating and public speaking.

“With nothing to lose, I sent in an application essay, my complete CV and personal motivation. Several weeks later, I received an acceptance offer to be part of the programme,” he said.

The comprehensive residential programme, which brings together university students and recent graduates, as well as professionals of all ages, provides a “master class” on foreign policy and international security challenges of today’s geopolitical environment through seminars and tutorials. It is delivered by a global network of senior policymakers and the university’s leading scholars.

At the end of the programme, participants get an opportunity to make a presentation on foreign policy to a panel of experts comprising senior officials from Nato and the United Kingdom.

Chetty said: “Through the course of my studies and speaking, I have learnt to appreciate the power of interactive engagement on controversial topics. After being, initially, forced by expectation and fear to research and flesh out my opinions in depth, I began to do them organically and willingly, which is an ethic I hope to bring back home.

“The programme has revealed to me a multitude of opportunities for the future from invitations to speak at Oxford once again, internships for a multitude of organisations and a desire to pursue postgraduate studies overseas,” he said.