From Turmoil to Calm with the Help of the Bocconi Community
After a couple of years of uncertainty and turmoil, triggered off by the conflict in Ukraine, Buthisizwe Lindy Moyo’s determination has been rewarded with a scholarship at Bocconi to continue to pursue her objective to work in the field of international arbitration.
Born and raised in in Zimbabwe, on finishing school Lindy was determined in deciding on studying international law. Drawn by her sister, who was already studying in Ukraine, in 2018 she enrolled at the National University of Odessa. By 2022, she was in her final year, ready to finish and embark on her next steps
Though she was aware of the growing tensions in the region, she believed it would pass over like in other times beforehand. But then on February 24th her serenity was shattered by the sound of the first bombs. “I had found a really friendly environment and was enjoying the experience – and all of sudden it became all traumatic,” she recounters.
Realizing the gravity of the situation, Lindy quickly connected with other Zimbabwean students. Together, they decided to leave, seeking safety across the border. They took a taxi to the Moldovan border and then made their way to Chișinău, where they found assistance in the welcoming arms of NGOs.
She was then made aware of the Safe Harbor association which works to help law students from Ukraine find opportunities to continue their education or career experience. “Thanks to them, my next destination was Bucharest where I was able to settle into a six month internship with a law firm,” she says. “An experience in which I also made first contact with Bocconi’s prof Catherine Rogers, who I didn’t know would become so important to me as mentor and support in my choices that followed.”
Lindy also managed to graduate and in January 2023 arrived in Bocconi as a visiting student as part of the cohort of Ukraine students participating in one of Bocconi's initiatives to help forced migrant students, offering them a chance to continue their education in a stable environment.
Thanks to an incredibly welcoming community, Lindy says she thrived in her new setting. " I was able to see the validity of Bocconi, the high level of teaching, and how the community is really inclusive. All this convinced me to continue to study here," she reflected. “I also began to assist Professor Rogers, who has been such a great support to me throughout these recent years, with some research projects focusing on issues of international arbitration, the area in which I have decided I would like to go on to work in, either in a law or firm or in an institution."
By the end of her visiting period, Lindy knew she wanted to stay. She applied for the LLM in European Business and Social Law at Bocconi and was delighted to be admitted with a scholarship supported by alumnus Vittorio Colao. "It's been such an uncertain path for me over the last few years that now every day is positive, and I feel so grateful for this opportunity," Lindy shared. "An opportunity and help without which it would be difficult for me to continue to pursue my professional aspirations.”