The Second SEEP Alumni Stories Night

Three SEEP alumni return to the student lounge to tell the stories their CVs leave out: the unexpected turns, the lucky breaks, and the paths that led them where they are.

It’s a warm evening in early June, and students are trickling into the lounge, still in conversation. The everyday topics. How the assignments went, how the thesis is coming along. But tonight is not about everyday student life. It’s about what comes after.

Three alumni are joining us for this instalment of SEEP Alumni Stories Night, and they were chosen for a reason: each one has built a career in a different corner of the world SEEP graduates tend to head into.

Susan Üstün works in EY’s global New Economy Unit alongside her role as Senior Consultant for Circular Economy at EY denkstatt – the private sector, working transformation from the inside.

Raphaela Friedl is a Managing Director at the Austrian educational NGO Hobby Lobby – civil society and impact-driven organisations.

And Kai Lingnau is Economic Analyst for a political party in Austria – policy and the political arena.

Between them, they cover three main arenas where socio-ecological change actually gets contested.

CVs and LinkedIn profiles tend to present a polished, linear path. Tonight we’re interested in the opposite: the unusual turns, the unexpected challenges, the lucky breaks and sideways moves. The things that usually don’t make it onto the slide.

A personal and honest atmosphere sets in. The three of them know exactly what it means to sit on the other side of the room. To think about your own future from a SEEP perspective. And here’s the thing about that perspective. One of the greatest strengths of SEEP, it’s unapologetically interdisciplinary setup, also means that every student eventually has to decide, actively, which of many possible directions to take. The journey isn’t predefined. It’s a conscious choice. Or sometimes a coincidence.

That’s the one thing all three speakers share: each arrived at their current role through turns they didn’t see coming. They mention the community connections that supported them along the way, the importance of being connected in the field and they talk about their day-to-day work. They share personal tips, stories and thoughts.

As the sun sets, the official programme winds down and the group drifts out into Prater park, still talking about the future and the unexpected turns that might shape it. And about how you put yourself in the right place, at the right time, to catch one.

(Also check out our Alumni Stories Interview Series to explore the many directions SEEP alumni have taken.)