One of the Department of History’s undergraduate alumni and also a current graduate student in our department, Büşra Evran, shared her academic and personal experiences gained through the Erasmus Program at the University of Prishtina with students and faculty members as part of the event series “Our Alumni Speak,” organized by our department. The talk, held on 18 June 2026 in the Department of History meeting room, attracted considerable interest from our faculty members as well as undergraduate and graduate students.

In her talk, Büşra Evran stated that the idea of Erasmus was not initially on her agenda and that she took her first steps in the process upon encouragement from her family. She noted that she passed the Erasmus exam with a scholarship using her existing English proficiency without any special preparation. Following this stage, she explained, official procedures such as visa applications, accommodation arrangements, and inter-university correspondence began. She emphasized that the support of Erasmus coordinators at both her home university and the host institution made the process much more manageable. Evran explained that upon her arrival in Kosovo, she stayed briefly in an Airbnb before moving into a dormitory arranged by the university. She underlined that living in the same dormitory with Erasmus students from different countries greatly enhanced intercultural interaction, and that the friendships she formed made her Erasmus experience far more meaningful and enjoyable.

In a significant part of her talk, Büşra Evran focused on the impact of Erasmus on personal development, summarizing how profoundly the experience changes one’s perspective on the world with the following words: “I think the Erasmus experience is something every student should experience at least once in their lifetime. There is a visible and incredible difference between who you are before going and who you are after returning.”

Regarding the academic process, Evran stated that she occasionally encountered difficulties. She noted that due to historical and social tensions rooted in the past in Kosovo, she sometimes faced negative attitudes toward Turks and instances of racism. Nevertheless, she emphasized that some faculty members were highly supportive and showed understanding in academic matters. She added that her relationships with classmates were generally positive. In the final part of the talk, Evran remarked that Kosovo might be an academically debatable choice for a history student; however, she stressed that the extracurricular Erasmus experience was extremely high-quality, eye-opening, and transformative. She also noted that she had the opportunity to travel to six different countries with close friends from Japan and Honduras, and that these experiences made significant contributions to her identity as a historian and to her overall worldview.

This talk demonstrated through a concrete example that the Erasmus Program is not merely an educational mobility opportunity for students of the Department of History, but also a chance to engage with different historical narratives, cultures, and collective memories. Considering that the discipline of history requires critical thinking, comparative analysis, and empathy, the contribution of international experiences to students’ academic and intellectual development was once again clearly highlighted. This talk, held within the scope of the “Our Alumni Speak” event series, was highly valuable for our department in terms of encouraging students toward international academic experiences and offering a realistic and multidimensional perspective on the Erasmus process.

We thank our student for her talk and wish her continued success in her academic career.