Peacebuilding concentration alumni at the NYU SPS Center for Global Affairs continue to give back in meaningful ways to the current student community. Recently, the NYU Peace Research and Education Program co-hosted an event with the NYU Peace and Conflict Transformation (PaCT) club featuring Océane Hooks-Camilleri and Love Odih Kumuyi, who led the session, “Exploring What’s Next: Career Transitions Through a Systems Lens.” The event was designed as a reflective, virtual community space to support students navigating the uncertainty of post-graduate transitions. Rather than treating career decisions as purely individual choices, the session encouraged participants to think more holistically, situating their skills, experiences, and aspirations within a broader system shaped by networks, institutions, expectations, and structural constraints.

Using systems thinking as a light framework, Océane and Love challenged students to move beyond traditional career paths or well-worn employers and instead consider how their roles might fit within the larger peacebuilding ecosystem. The session balanced reflection and interaction, beginning with a group check-in that surfaced a range of emotions about life after graduation, from excitement to uncertainty, before moving into breakout discussions. In smaller groups, participants mapped their own “career systems,” identifying key influences such as mentors, financial pressures, opportunities, and personal motivations, and examining how these elements are interconnected. By “zooming in and out,” students were able to recognize patterns, gaps, and new insights about how they approach their next steps. The session concluded with a full group discussion and reflections, emphasizing curiosity over certainty and awareness over immediate decision-making. The event offered a refreshing shift toward more optimistic, capacity-focused thinking. Rather than centering fear or perceived deficits, it encouraged students to better understand the systems shaping their paths and to approach their transitions with greater clarity, confidence, and a broader sense of possibility.