Home>Meet the Graduates 2026: Merle Thiel
17 September 2026
Meet the Graduates 2026: Merle Thiel
What made you decide to pursue the Advanced Certification in Gender Studies alongside your Master's program?
A key question that kept returning throughout my studies was how access to rights and resources is determined by intersecting forms of identity and experience, so pursuing this certification felt natural. As a formal recognition of expertise in the field of gender studies, it gave me the academic space to reflect, across different classes, on how power and oppression collide and discriminate against marginalised groups.
Which course during your studies of gender-related topics made a particular impression on you, and why?
I would say that the class Gender in Emergencies: Rapid Gender Analysis (RGA) by Isadora Quai marked my academic and professional path. We learned the RGA methodological framework to understand gender-specific needs in humanitarian settings and crises. The teaching was really interactive, with Isadora sharing a lot of personal experience with us, while providing us with practical tools, which were for example really useful during my third-semester internship.
What is the next professional or academic chapter for you after the completion of your Master's degree at Sciences Po?
My third-semester internship with a humanitarian organisation working on access to WASH for women and marginalised people on the move at the French-British border strengthened my determination to work at the intersection of migration, gender and human rights. While I am not entirely certain how my professional path will unfold, advocating for the rights of oppressed people matters to me beyond an academic or professional context. I try to understand solidarity not only as an act manifesting itself in global political contexts, but also in smaller everyday gestures.