RANDO SIMSON // STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE // UNIVERSITY OF TARTU
»Do you like travelling, meeting new people with different types of backgrounds and learning about how universities in other countries work and teach? Then let ENLIGHT enlighten you!«
From participating in a short-term blended mobility course to becoming a student representative of ENLIGHT in the span of a year, Rando Simson has made the most of his experience with ENLIGHT. Still, he feels there is much to learn from other members of the network.
In the picture above is Rando Simson (left) at the ENLIGHT Student Network Conference 2025 in Göttingen
Where are you from?
Rando: I am from the lovely coastal town of Pärnu in Western Estonia.
Where are you studying?
Rando: I am a third year history and international relations student at University of Tartu which is the oldest university in the Baltics (originally founded in 1632) and also the largest institution of higher learning in Estonia.
Why did you choose your field of study?
Rando: The behavioural patterns of humans and societies have always interested me. I find studying history has helped me understand the reasons behind why people and states act and have acted throughout history in the way they do. What is incredible about history is its inherent connection to so many other fields that explain the human civilisation: sociology, economy, geography, university, political science and so on. This is what convinced me that studying history helps one to obtain a broad range of skills and a great general understanding of how society works on different levels. I chose to study in Tartu specifically because of the university’s good reputation in humanities. Tartu is also well-known for its historic and academic, yet lively and youthful atmosphere that attracts a lot of people to come here.
When I am trying to figure out ways to make my university a better place to study, I often find myself thinking about how various problems have been solved at some of ENLIGHT's partner universities that I am familiar with.
What do you like to do in your free time?
Rando: I tend to mostly spend my free time chatting with my friends, watching films with them, going on walks and so on. Whenever there is more time, I also read, go to the gym, and try to develop new skills such as painting, which I have recently discovered for myself. As an ENLIGHT Student Network member I understandably also love travelling and learning languages.
How did you hear about ENLIGHT?
Rando: In the spring of 2024, I discovered a short-term blended mobility course organised jointly by the history departments of Tartu, Ghent, Galway and Comenius. It brought me to Galway for an intensive week full of seminars, group work and cultural activities with students from Tartu and other universities. I found the course and the experience very eye-opening and exciting, so I started paying attention to other possible opportunities ENLIGHT has to offer. Luckily, after about six months after the course, I managed to attend a student conference in Göttingen. Another half year passed and I had become a student representative at the network.
Tell us about your participation in ENLIGHT.
Rando: In connection to my position as a vice president of Student Union, I am also one of the two local representatives in the ENLIGHT student network which plays an important role within the organisation aiming to improve exhange opportunities for students and popularise mobility among them. And right now, my dear colleague Liisa and I are organising a student conference taking place in Tartu next March which will bring together about 10 students from each of the 10 universities that make up ENLIGHT.
Rando: How do you feel participation in ENLIGHT has changed your perception of collaboration, research and education?
I now understand how much we in different universities have to learn from each other. A lot of the time when you face an issue, there is no need to reinvent the wheel but to get some inspiration out of someone else’s solution instead. When I am trying to figure out ways to make my university a better place to study, I often find myself thinking about how various problems have been solved at some of ENLIGHT's partner universities that I am familiar with.
What would your advice be to others interested in ENLIGHT opportunities?
Rando: I suggest checking ENLIGHT’s website a couple of times a year and following the network on social media to keep an eye out for any opportunities mentioned by local ENLIGHT representatives or in any newsletters of the universities.
What is your biggest takeaway from your experience with ENLIGHT?
Rando: I have come to truly appreciate the value of connecting with people from different countries and understanding their perspectives on the world. I am very grateful for having had the privilege to travel around Europe and meeting so many interesting people from all over the world.
If you were to recommend ENLIGHT to a colleague, what would you say?
Rando: Do you like travelling, meeting new people with different types of backgrounds and learning about how universities in other countries work and teach? Then let ENLIGHT enlighten you!
In the picture above is Rando Simson (second from left) at the ENLIGHT Student Network Conference 2025 in Göttingen