Anastasiia Koziak (2023) is the second recipient of the Rowan Williams Studentship at Trinity Hall, since it was established in 2018 by the Cambridge Trust. She plans to use the expertise gained from her Cambridge LLM (Master of Law) to pursue justice and post-war reconstruction for Ukraine, where she comes from.
The Rowan Williams Studentship is a full-cost award for undergraduate and postgraduate students from areas of conflict who face critical obstacles in coming to study in Cambridge.
Cambridge has been my longstanding aspiration and indeed it feels like a dream come true. The LLM program at the University of Cambridge specifically attracted me because of its world-class reputation for international law and the opportunity to create your own specialism within the program. I was also driven by the motivation to join a diverse cohort of talented and determined students from various backgrounds and to learn from brilliant professors who are premier experts in their fields – all of which has now become a reality.
My LLM program is focused on various areas of international law, including modules on international human rights, international criminal law, international trade law and international environmental law. The field generally revolves around the frameworks that govern the relationships between states and various actors within the complex landscape of international affairs.
My passion for international law has developed by participating in international moot court competitions during my undergraduate degree, primarily due to the complexity of the subject and its key role in todayʼs globalized world – where global issues cannot be resolved at the national level only. A vivid example of this is the
growing field of international environmental law that deals with transboundary issues, such as climate change, loss of biodiversity and ozone depletion. I’m particularly interested in the contentious side of international law, where existing legal frameworks are challenged and lawyers have to think creatively in navigating the inter-connection between various legal systems, conventions and principles.
I would like to express my wholehearted gratitude to all the supporters of the Rowan Williams Studentship, who have made it possible for me to come to Cambridge. I am forever thankful to all who established and generously contributed to this Studentship. It provides a much-needed safe academic harbour for students from areas of conflict.
