Interview with Fabian Rosielle - 37th Chair of Clio

By Matei Ciocan and Fabian Rosielle 

We all know that the sudden shock from completing university assignments and writing academic papers to executing actual job tasks hits fresh graduates the hardest. While consistently working on your academic skills is of great value to your overall preparation in becoming integrated into the employment sector, students often lack the tangible and practical abilities to be good professionals, especially in the field of International Relations, which is an extremely volatile, ever-changing and dynamic sector. 

Thus, in order to acquire such skills while at the same time retaining your academic credentials, one could think of completing a board year in a student association. Such responsibility is often overlooked by peers not interested in the workings of these associations, yet the work, pressure and lessons that derive from doing a board year could practically prepare you for the toughness and seriousness of your possible future job.  
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We conducted an interview with Fabian Rosielle, the Chair of Study Association Clio, in order to find out what this experience meant for him and if he would recommend this option to other students.

• Looking back on your year as Chair, what would you say are the most valuable skills you have developed that you will carry into your career in international relations?

This year has helped me develop a broad range of soft skills, from team coordination and conflict resolution to strategic thinking and time management. Perhaps most significantly, I’ve learned how to lead with flexibility and empathy, which will certainly be helpful down the road. 

• Were there any moments this year that challenged your leadership style or decision-making? How did you grow from them?

Absolutely. There were instances where my initial ideas about structure and delegation didn’t quite land the way I expected. I had to learn to listen more actively, adapt my style, and at times let go of control in order to let others roam more freely. 

• How has being Chair shaped or changed your career goals in international relations, if at all?

I think it has made me realise even more how I enjoy the practitioner aspect of it, or to put it into Bachelor course terms, Policy and Governance. However, I think the broad variety of speakers from a myriad of sectors I’ve encountered this year only made me more aware of what falls within the realm of possibilities with an IR degree. I suppose there is still a lot of orientation left to do!

• Were there any surprises — things you learned about yourself or the nature of leadership — that you did not expect when you started?

I think being a leader requires a collection of skills that is hard to put into words. There are a lot of balances to be found that will differ per team you have to manage. Some approaches to my management style I tried to think out perfectly in the beginning of my year, but only realised halfway through in what way my board, committee members and chairs expected/needed different methods of management to perform optimally.  

• If you had to explain to a future employer what this experience has taught you beyond what is on your CV, what would you say? How valuable doing a board year is for obtaining your first IR job.

I’d say that this board year taught me how to lead people with empathy and decisiveness, juggle long-term vision with short-term action, and communicate under pressure — all in a setting that closely resembles real professional dynamics. The intensity and scope of this role have given me insights and skills that no lecture or internship could have provided in quite the same way.

• What advice would you give to another IR student who is thinking of joining a study association board with their future career in mind? Is it worth it for enhancing your skills?

Don’t think twice, it’s more than worth it! I think board years, even more than internships or other alternatives, offer a special combination of huge potential for social and professional development at the same time. A board year’s uniquely student-y combination of encompassing all your social contacts (which, to be completely fair, can at times also be highly demanding) while having to maintain some sort of sense of responsibility to these contacts is a special opportunity and surely worth the investment. 

• If you could sum up what this year has meant to your personal and professional development in one sentence, what would it be?

Unexpected and unrepeatable