Blandine West
November 6, 2018

Blandine West

I graduated from the University of Bath with a BSc in Politics and International Relations during which I spent a year on placement in Munich working for an expat social network (InterNations). Whilst in my final year I began volunteering with a non-profit organisation called The Unmentionables who provide forcibly displaced individuals around the world with access to sexual and reproductive health education, services, protection and empowerment programmes.

Name: Blandine West

Nationality: British 

Years at Bangkok Patana: 7 years

Graduating Class Year: 2013

What are your favourite memories of Bangkok Patana?

Participating in the 24-hour play and The Crucible was a huge moment of self-realisation and confidence boost, especially with the incredible support of my teachers. The delicious noodles no doubt! The community spirit within the Patana community is incomparable and it’s something that I really miss. Luckily, we do keep in touch with our classmates and the effort by BPS Alumni to bring us together every year at various events globally has been so important to maintaining that feeling that we are still part of the community no matter where we are or when we left.

What have you been doing since leaving Bangkok Patana?

I graduated from the University of Bath with a BSc in Politics and International Relations during which I spent a year on placement in Munich working for an expat social network (InterNations). Whilst in my final year I began volunteering with a non-profit organisation called The Unmentionables who provide forcibly displaced individuals around the world with access to sexual and reproductive health education, services, protection and empowerment programmes. In the summer after graduating, I joined them on a distribution trip to Athens where we provided refugees with basic necessities such as underwear and menstrual hygiene products. After the summer I joined a a global philanthropy called EMpower – The Emerging Markets Foundation, focused on empowering at-risk youth in emerging market countries in the fields of livelihoods, education, health and well-being. I will be leaving the organisation in September where I will begin a MSc in Health and International Development at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). Alongside my job, I have enrolled in a 200hour yoga teacher training course and will be a fully trained yoga teacher by August 2018!

What are the things that you learned/experienced at Bangkok Patana that you still use today? 

Networking and working with and among a global team – this is something that I do with ease after attending an international school like BPS. Managing my time and keeping organised was a skill i gained during IB and that really helped me at university. My experience at BPS was full of moments where my teachers encouraged me to aim for more, because they saw potential I still wasn’t aware of and this encouragement is something that still guides me.

University Attended and Course of study: University of Bath, BSc Politics and International Relations.

Post Grad? LSE, MSc in Health and International Development (starting this September)

University Graduation Year: 2017

Company: EMpower – The Emerging Markets Foundation

Current Position:​ Development and Communications Assistant

What would you like to be doing in ten-years’ time? Starting my own non-profit organisation working on mental health and empowerment of young people.

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