It is with a heavy heart that we share with you that on Wednesday November 16th, we received the sad news of the passing away of our student Karina Veelaid. Karina was part of our Governance of Migration and Diversity Master - Public Administration track this year. She was a curious, dedicated, and bright student.
Growing up in Estonia, Karina has from early on pursued an interest in Public Administration and Governance, which she realized first through a BA of Arts in Social Sciences PA and Governance at Tallinn University of Technology, which she completed with a grade of 4,34 out of 5. In 2019-20, she spent six months at the EUR as an exchange student in the intl. Bachelor Management of Intl. Social Challenges in Rotterdam. In parallel to her studies, Karina completed an internship on integration policy with the Estonian Ministry of the Interior (2020) and one internship with the office of the II Vice President of the Parliament of Estonia. Since 2020 Karina worked as a senior specialist on the issuing of identity documents and visas for the Estonian police, giving her important insights into Estonian migration policy and policy practice. During an in-take conversation Karina shared how coming to Rotterdam to pursue the GMD Master was a big wish she had since she had studied here as an exchange student. She dreamt of taking the knowledge she would learn in the master back to her home country, where she wanted to apply it to improve policymaking on migration issues, potentially also moving more into the area of inclusion of immigrants. She was very proud about this opportunity to pursue an international master abroad and hoped to become a future leader and frontrunner of innovating Estonian policy. It was the intersection of migration governance and the effects on the lives of migrants, what Karina was most passionate about. It is deeply saddening to know that this dream and home has come to such an abrupt end with Karina’s death.
In her own and unique way, calm, more reserved, yet eager to learn and discover, Karina held her ground. Karina was the type of student who would be there for others, happy to listen or talk, to work hard, and to help out whenever possible. With her passing, we lose an intelligent, thoughtful, and passionate student.
Our thoughts go out to Karina’s family, friends, and fellow students at this difficult time.
On behalf of the master track Governance of Migration and Diversity, Public Administration track, Erasmus University Rotterdam
Prof. dr. Peter Scholten
Dr. Maria Schiller
And on behalf of Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Sciences,
Prof.dr. Victor Bekkers, Dean
Prof.dr. Bram Steijn, Vice-dean Education