Bucharest, Sept 8 / Agerpres / - Sebastian Burduja, a graduate of the universities of Stanford and Harvard, says many young people are discouraged from studying abroad by the myth that people accepted for studies by top ranking universities should be 'at least budding world-renowned scholars,' when in fact hard work and boldness are the main requested qualities.
The 29-year-old young, nicknamed 'Tianu' by friends, is one of the founders of the League of Romanian Students Abroad (LSRS), and he demonstrates that a graduate of institutions considered superlatives of formal education can feel homesick. Sebastian 'Tianu' Burduja was accepted into Stanford in 2004, and his studies at the prestigious American university meant a major challenge to him.
'First, there was my desire for a chance to a better education, to live in a different environment to measure my hard working against some of the best students in the world,' he says about his decision to go to college in the United States.
His education fees - about 30,000 US dollars - were covered in part by loans taken out by his parents and grandparents.
'It's very hard to say 'No' when an admission letter comes to your mail box from a top university and I think and hope that every young Romanian who has such an opportunity can make the effort to cover the fees through family support, crowdfunding , or merit scholarships. I am deeply grateful to everyone who supported me, for this type of educational background can open doors all around the world. Moreover, due to my results at Stanford, Harvard University covered a large portion of the fees for the dual Master's degree programme I took up.'
Burduja is currently working at the Washington headquarters of the World Bank, his family is scattered in the United States and Romania and he hopes to apply what he has learned at Stanford and Harvard for good causes often regarding Romania.
After graduating from the Mihai Viteazu National College of Bucharest, Burduja chose the United States partly because of the area he was interested in - the development of democracy in various countries.
'I was a bit older than 4 years at the December 1989 Revolution, I was living in Piatra Neamt with my family in an environment that was somehow protected from violence, but that event has marked me profoundly. The 1990s came with their unrest and disillusionments, and I was left with the idea that Romania missed major opportunities for development, at least compared with what other countries had achieved such as Poland, Turkey, India and Brazil. I was looking for an answer to the question ‘What could have worked better?' That was what brought me to Stanford and then Harvard,' says the young man.
At Stanford, Burduja met Larry Diamond, one of the most active and important theorists of democratic studies, a professor who later became his mentor, although while in the American academe, Sebastian Burduja focused his work at Stanford and Harvard on phenomena happening in Romania, especially corruption.
'Corruption is a major risk factor for the stability of any democratic system and economic development. If people do not believe democracy works in their benefit, then the system is eroded, it loses its legitimacy and can generate extremism,' he says.
According to Burduja, a 2013 Eurobarometer on corruption in Romania revealed that 93 per cent of the respondents saw corruption as a very important issue and 57 per cent of them were facing it on a daily basis.
'It will probably take some years until corruption is utterly and efficiently defeated,' says Burduja, who pictures himself back in Romania in the near future. 'I have tried to stay involved in the Romanian society, both in my professional career and through LSRS. I believe that overall distance helps us detach ourselves from the hustle and bustle of everyday life in the country and find solutions to Romania's development issues in a broader context. Homesickness is proportional to distance,' Burduja confesses.
But the distance from his home country allowed Sebastian Burduja access to an education system that is focused on student needs and that gives students practical experience necessary for a future career.
The young man's dearest memory of the USA is his first day as a student there.
'I had just arrived at the campus at Stanford and was walking to the hostel. I noticed a group of students who were holding a big sign with my name on it and who were shouting 'Welcome Sebastian!' That was a shocking moment. It was later confirmed to me many times the perception that students are at the core of the academic system. When you are a student at a university of big calibre, you have access to the best professors, to Nobel laureates who give to you of their time. The entire academic process focuses on your needs,' says he.
But studying at an exceptional university means adhering to a code of honour which rules are non-negotiable.
'I was struck by how exams are held at Stanford: the professor leaves the classroom, where students are left unattended. By virtue of learning at Stanford, students there adhere to a code of honour that forbids any form of cheating. It is a smart system, because instead of two eyes surveying an entire room, each student is held accountable for respecting the code of honour. There were no cases of student cheating while I was a student there, because any student caught cheating would have been expelled. Theft cases are treated very harshly there,' says Burduja.
His studies in the United States earned him internships at the United Nations, the National Endowment for Democracy and a large consulting company operating in Romania, as well as collaboration with Larry Diamond, as a research assistant for Diamond's 'The Spirit of Democracy.'
'I also worked part-time at a fast food restaurant and a student advertising agency. Those are experiences of which I am proud, because they secured me extra money and faster integration with the American society,' says Burduja.
One year and a half ago, Sebastian Burduja worked as a social development consultant for Europe and Central Asia at the World Bank office in Washington. In short, some of his duties involved economic and socio-political research, followed by field trips, where he would get into contact with public authorities, civil society members and journalists to test the realities behind the figures in reports. Overall, the young man's job meant half a year spent travelling including often to Romania.
'Hailing from the country you study is an advantage. I had a great opportunity, because at the time of my interview for the World Bank job major projects were starting in Romania. That was very good timing and I had the chance of being appreciated by people who fully trusted me,' says Sebastian Burduja.
In his opinion, Romania is a country with huge potentials, especially at a human level, and also in terms of natural resources and geographical location.
'Romania has missed opportunities for 25 years because of a poorly-designed public and political system that benefitted only a small elite, moving in a vicious circle that was extremely rigid. Incidentally, this is the main theme of a book that I will publish in Romania in the near future,' he says.
The book will be released this October or November and it is called 'Intre speranta si deziluzie: Democratie si anticoruptie in Romania postcomunista' (Between Hope and Disillusionment: Democracy and Corruption in Post-Communist Romania.)
His dream of returning to Romania stays on, but until then, Sebastian Burduja is trying to change things for the better.
'My belief is that when you are given much, you have to give much back in return. That is what I am trying to do in my daily life,' adds the young.
With a degree from Stanford and two from Harvard, Burduja says that the League of Romanian Students Abroad, founded in 2009 along with some friends, is the project of which he is proudest. Previously, there had been no organisations bringing together overseas Romanian students and graduates. In five years, LSRS's membership increased to 8,300, in 40 branches. The league's members provide assistance to those who are interested in learning overseas and those who want to return to Romania or get involved in projects for the development of Romania, either from home or from afar.
'I think it is important not to forget the reason why you are at a certain point in life and what you want to achieve in the long run. As my grandfather would say, you have to do what is needed to be done, not what you can do. I think that is also my main piece of advice to those who want to study abroad, along with the urge to dare. You have to dare, have courage and persevere regardless of hardships,' says Sebastian Burduja. AGERPRES