Alumni Profiles — CEU Department of Legal Studies
Tomas Vytautas Raskevičius
Year of Graduation: 2012
Program: Master of Arts in Human Rights
“The most important takeaway from my CEU studies was that human rights are not only universal, but also indivisible and interrelated,” says Tomas Vytautas Raskevičius, a graduate of the M.A. in Human Rights program and the Chair of the Human Rights Committee of the Parliament of the Republic of Lithuania.
He considers his experience at CEU rewarding, but challenging: “I have not only learned a lot in theory but was also able to directly apply that knowledge in my professional career,” he says. His research interests focus on LGBT+ equality. Tomas believes that CEU played a crucial role in shaping his career. He fondly remembers studying under his favorite professors — Renáta Uitz and Eszter Polgári — who also supervised his thesis.
After graduation, Tomas worked as a paralegal for the national LGBT+ rights organization, and then moved to the public sector, working for the Ombudsperson for Equal Opportunities, which eventually led him to the Lithuanian Parliament. “If it were not for the CEU, I would not have been able to pursue my professional path in the field of human rights,” Tomas mentions.
When asked what advice he would give to current and prospective students, he replies — “Enjoy; even though it seems too hard sometimes! You will remember this experience in a few years as the best year of your life.”
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Berihun Adugna Gebeye
“CEU offers a world-class education to its diverse student body with an internationally and comparatively oriented curriculum taught by some of the leading scholars in their fields,” says Dr. Berihun Adugna Gebeye, a CEU graduate with an LLM in Human Rights and an SJD in Comparative Constitutional Law. He is currently working at the Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law in Heidelberg, Germany as a Humboldt Postdoctoral Research Fellow.
Berihun is interested in constitutional theory and comparative constitutional studies. “I use interdisciplinary approaches and materials to study comparative constitutional law and politics, human rights, the rule of law, and international law and development in Africa,” Berihun says. His recent book — “A Theory of African Constitutionalism” will be published in July 2021 by Oxford University Press, and is based on the doctoral dissertation which he wrote under the supervision of the Head of CEU’s Legal Studies Department — Professor Mathias Möschel.
As a CEU student, he focused on how liberal constitutionalism influences and is influenced by cultural diversity in Africa. He mentions that his university studies enriched his personal and professional experiences and helped him to develop his academic path. “Supportive teachers and colleagues helped me to refine and sharpen my thinking and to start publishing early on, which helped me to secure a postdoctoral position before completing my doctoral studies,” says Berihun.
Berihun advises current students to take full advantage of the studies by actively engaging in the academic and social life of CEU. For prospective students, he says that “CEU offers a world-class education that will be the key to pursue a career with some impact: apply to CEU.”
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Andreea Costa
“[CEU] shaped me into a versatile thinker and problem solver,” says Andreea Costa, a graduate of the LL.M. in International Business Law program at CEU.
Andreea is part of the Jersey (Channel Islands) Governance Team at Apex Group Ltd., a global financial service provider. She focuses on promoting good governance within the company, drafting and rolling out contractual agreements, amending and implementing internal Policies or Procedures, and managing Apex’s internal communications.
She believes that her studies at CEU defined her career path and have trained her to excel in the field of Corporate Governance. Andreea benefited a lot from the classes taught by Prof. Tajti, namely Secured Transactions & Capital Markets and Securities Regulation. “But also, I highly appreciate the chance that I had to participate in classes taught by American professors, such as Corporate Governance and Tax Law,” she says.
Andreea states that one of the most important aspects of CEU is preparing its students for a variety of fields. “[The IBL program] allows you to work in the financial sector, in the fields of Investment Management and Private Equity, and even for SMEs, Start-Ups, NGOs and many more”.
She advises current and prospective students to use their time at CEU for finding their own identity and being curious. “Let your interest thrive and do not be afraid to ask yourself difficult questions to find out who you are and what you desire from your future career path,” says Andreea.
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Melissa Ann Sicat
“I traveled halfway across the globe, away from my family, to study at CEU, and it was not easy […] but the experience enriched me in so many ways that I can say it was one of the best decisions I’ve made in my life,” says Melissa Ann Sicat — a graduate of the LL.M. in International Business Law program at CEU.
Melissa is currently working at the international fintech company ‘Wise’ (previously ‘Transferwise’) as a member of their compliance team. She coordinates with various regulatory and law enforcement agencies worldwide to ensure that the company adheres to its AML and due diligence obligations as a financial institution. “CEU exposed me to different fields such as US and European company and IP laws, and financial regulatory compliance, among others. I find all such fields relevant and useful in my career,” says Melissa.
Although she found the CEU experience to be challenging at first, she also found it incredibly enriching, causing her to realize that in life, learning opportunities are boundless. “One should not be afraid to step out of his/her comfort zone to pursue his/her dreams,” she says.
Before coming to CEU, Melissa was an in-house lawyer for a major retailer in the Philippines, but her studies widened her horizons and led her to a completely different field — financial regulatory compliance. “I enjoyed all of my classes […] but I particularly found capital markets, securities regulations, and corporate finance (taught by Professor Tajti) fascinating. Its intricacies affect people’s lives in many ways, from financing a business to providing investment opportunities, and ultimately, feeding an economy. I also enjoyed international economic migration policies and environmental laws (taught by Professor Lawrence) as they hit close to home and felt very relevant during these times,” says Melissa.
When asked what advise she would give to current and prospective students, she replies: “Just enjoy the ride. Learn as much as you can, travel if possible and make many friends. Take your classes seriously as this is a once in a lifetime learning opportunity, but more importantly, just enjoy the experience as it will not last long.”
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Justin Cyubahiro
“The most important experience that I gained from CEU is a broad knowledge base that can keep my mind open, agile, and communicative with different legal systems across the world,” says Justin Cyubahiro — a graduate of the LL.M. in International Business Law program at CEU.
Justin is a corporate lawyer licensed by the Rwanda Bar Association with more than ten years’ experience. He is currently working with the Horizon Group Ltd. in Rwanda, and his responsibilities are mostly centered around ensuring effective corporate governance within the company as a whole and overseeing legal affairs and compliance across the different sectors in which the Horizon Group is invested, namely sustainable infrastructure, high value agribusiness and intelligent logistics.
He mentions that all his classes at CEU were thrilling, but he was particularly impressed with Prof. Tajti’s Capital Market and Securities Transactions course; “CEU placed me at the interface of lecturers with high seniority and experience and induced me to take an active role in a dynamic academic environment devoid of learning distractions and structured to leverage diversity,” he says.
His thesis topic at CEU focused on Comparative Bankruptcy Law; “I am now focused on other fields including company law, corporate governance, tax, and commercial arbitration,” says Justin. During his studies, he increasingly gained an interest in conducting research, which led him to publish papers in leading international journals.
Justin advises current and prospective students to take full advantage of the opportunities that CEU has to offer, be open to new experiences and appreciate these unique encounters.
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Milagros Evans Malaya
“In order to be a well-rounded student, one needs to not just be academically focused but also able to socialize well and learn from the experience of being in a multicultural university,” says Milagros Evans Malaya — a graduate of the LL.M. in International Business Law program at CEU who earned the Outstanding Academic Achievement Award for the Department of Legal Studies in 2016.
Miles, as she is known by her friends, works for Baker McKenzie, a leading international law firm with 77 offices worldwide. She is the Global Knowledge Lawyer for the firm’s Compliance & Investigations Group. She is responsible for the management and implementation of legal content projects, training and knowledge initiatives.
She believes that her CEU experience was life changing as it defined her professional paths. “After graduating from CEU, so many career options were opened to me that were not available before. I got job offers from international organizations as well as international law firms,” she says.
She mentions that all her courses were engaging but she fondly remembers Professor Tibor Tajti’s classes as they were extremely interactive so she could learn from the experiences of her classmates as well. “My class was composed of 19 wonderful individuals from 16 different countries and forming lifelong friendships with them and other students allowed me to maximize my CEU experience,” says Miles. Her thesis, under the guidance of Professor Csilla Kollonay-Lehoczky, was on employment law — specifically a comparative analysis of the free movement of skilled labor in the EU and the ASEAN region. “I always had a passion for Employment law as in my former firm, I was dubbed the ‘Labor Queen’. There are still aspects of labor law in my current work however, it has shifted to a broader sense. Moreover, I am currently experiencing the free movement of skilled employment: having been born, raised and educated in the Philippines, I have also worked in our London office and am currently working in our Amsterdam office,” Miles says.
She advises current and prospective students to make the most of the CEU experience by appropriately allocating their time, cultivating relationships and traveling. “Learning extends outside of the classroom. During my year at CEU, I was able to visit 16 different countries [and this gave me an opportunity] to discover not only the destination but allowed me to know more about myself,” says Miles.
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Nasir Muftić
“Comparative and interdisciplinary approach to studying embraced at CEU is very helpful in starting a career in new environments,” says Nasir Muftić — a graduate of the LL.M. in International Business Law program at CEU.
Nasir is currently working as a teaching and research assistant at the University of Sarajevo Faculty of Law where he is pursuing PhD as well. His research interests include liability law and artificial intelligence.
He believes that CEU offers unique opportunities, one of which is meeting students and experts of their fields with diverse and international backgrounds who are eager to share their knowledge and connect with each other.
He studied various aspects of the Business Law, namely bankruptcy, contracts, negotiations, arbitration, secured transactions, and liability law. One of the most important takeaways from Nasir’s experience at CEU is the ability to appreciate diversity of stakeholders’ positions when assessing a problem. He mentions that this holistic way of learning helped pave the way for his career. While he enjoyed his studies, he also admits that the experience was challenging and demanding at the same time. “It required a lot of work to be able to meet the high academic standards,” Nasir says.
When asked what advice he would give to current and prospective students, he replies: “If you want to challenge yourself academically and meet people from all around the world, CEU is the place to be.”
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