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From Waseda to the World, Shaping the Future through the United Nations

On July 15th, 2026, Waseda University co-hosted a special career seminar together with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), which I was very pleased to join. The goal of the seminar was to give students a chance to directly engage with UNDP professionals and hear firsthand accounts from Waseda alumni and students currently working at the UNDP.

“We are here for you; it is very, very exciting.”

These opening words belonged to Jean-Luc Marcelin, Strategic Partnerships and Outreach Specialist, who opened the seminar by presenting the landscape of the UN job market. Marcelin shared valuable tips regarding the process of candidate selection and outlined the importance of developing relevant skills and experiences early on. Undoubtedly, with the UN job market being highly competitive in nature, Marcelin highlighted that “generic applications simply don’t work”; rather, he encouraged applicants to do their “homework” by clearly understanding their interests and applying to specific agencies. Participating in UN Volunteer assignments, gaining project management skills, and taking advantage of foreign languages are some strategic steps students can take to prepare their applications. Therefore, by following these tips, applicants can start thinking early, identify their potential gaps, and present the best version of themselves to the market.

Jean-Luc Marcelin presenting about the UN job market

Insights from the Panelists

The next part of the session was structured as a panel discussion. The panel was made up entirely of former and current Waseda students, with the exception of Marcelin.

From left: Hana Saeki, Mariko Hamaguchi, Asako Sakurai, Naoki Nihei, Jean-Luc Marcelin

“Network, network, network. Performance, performance, performance.” These words of advice were given by Naoki Nihei, a strategic partnership and resource mobilisation advisor, who got his master’s and undergraduate degrees at Waseda and is currently a Graduate School of Social Sciences PhD candidate. During the presentation, Nihei explained how his specialization in the development of the former Soviet Union and Central Asia was highly influenced by the international environment he experienced studying here 25 years ago. He urged students to stay curious and take action, saying that “Once you think you want to do something, just try it”.

Asako Sakurai –a Partnership Development Specialist at United Nations Volunteers (UNV)– encouraged students to seek volunteering opportunities. During her studies at Waseda, she volunteered in the Philippines with WAVOC (The Hirayama Ikuo Volunteer Center), which was an inspiring and eye-opening experience for her. Furthermore, Sakurai’s main message to students was to be empathetic. Rather, more importantly, she emphasized that “empathy should always be paired with action.”

Mariko Hamaguchi, partnership and programme assistant, was very excited to share her experience with the students, as the venue was held in the exact same room where she took her admissions exam for the Waseda SILS program. Throughout her studies, Hamaguchi took full advantage of an international environment and fully immersed herself in diversity. Having an opportunity to go on a one-year exchange at George Washington University, Hamaguchi was excited to tackle international challenges and make a global impact. This determined mindset is most evidently seen in her message to students: “Nothing is impossible; the word itself says ‘I’m possible!’ “

Hana Saeki, UNDP public partnership intern and a current Waseda Graduate School of Asia-Pacific Studies International Relations student, urged students to be aggressively curious about every given opportunity. Drawing from her experience, Saeki explained that Waseda has so many opportunities and sometimes the most courageous thing students can do is just ask. Indeed, the culmination of asking questions and curiosity leads to life-changing opportunities, something Saeki has experienced every day working with passion-driven people who make the world a better place.

Q&A and Informal Reception

UNDP Strategic Partnerships and Outreach Specialist Jean-Luc Marcelin presenting a soccer ball to Waseda’s Professor Kate Elwood, Dean of International Affairs

After the panel discussion, students from the audience had an opportunity to directly ask questions to the UNDP specialists. The session ended with mutual words of gratitude, and a gifted soccer ball was given as an embodied symbol of partnership between Waseda and UNDP. After the session, I had a pleasant time connecting and socializing with the panelists during an informal reception. Particularly, I was deeply moved by Naoki Nihei’s humanitarian work in Ukraine, where I am from, and personally thanked him for all the efforts he made for the development of my country. With this in mind, meeting former and graduate students working as humanitarian professionals in Ukraine was a truly heart-touching experience. Certainly, their actions exemplify how Waseda’s principle of “fostering good citizens” can be carried forward to bring meaningful change to the world at large.

The author sharing a self-made postcard with Naoki Nihei after the event

About the Author: Danylo Semakov

Hello everyone, my name is Danylo Semakov, and I am a master’s student at the Graduate School of Human Sciences. I am passionate about arts-based research, and my seminar specializes in educational psychology and action research methodology. Currently, I am exploring how shared participation in creativity-based activities can help Japanese students increase their creative and communicative self-efficacy beliefs. I enjoy volunteering as an art instructor at the local Japanese junior high school and writing student articles about my life at Waseda.