From science to diplomacy. A dream on the shoulders of history's great thinkers

A reminder that dreams also change, the guest of the 4th episode of the Católica Podcast, Somos o que Sonhamos, Diogo Beirôco Gonçalves, before finding his dream in diplomacy, got to experience an almost opposite world, that of science, having done job-shadowing sessions to discover his true vocation.

Now 20 years old, Diogo is a recent finalist in Political Science and International Relations at UCP and if he could swap lives for 24 hours with a professor at Católica, it would be with Nuno Sampaio, recently appointed Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, or Lívia Franco and Miguel Monjardino, political commentators, were it not for his dream of diplomacy.

Without ruling out the idea of working as an ambassador, "it was not really the diplomatic career I had in mind, I think more of an international organisation." In this field, he is particularly interested in Security and Defence and Human Rights. But what fascinates him most is international relations applied to technology, in other words, "how technology can influence or not influence the international order and the world, both in the field of security and defence."

And during the course he was able to have direct contact with this world that fascinates him, having organised Dialogues with Diplomats, a series of conversations with diplomats from all over the world, which he had the opportunity to moderate, in a relaxed atmosphere with the aim of demystifying ideas about the diplomatic career.

But the experience did not stop there. At the Estoril Political Forum organised by the Institute for Political Studies, he also had the chance to meet and talk to diplomats and international experts. Focussed on networking, " it is already an internationally renowned event, with guests from all over the world."

In addition to this annual meeting, he also highlights the Tradition of the Great Books course, which he considers "a cornerstone of the degree". "We start with Aristotle and end with Hobbes, in other words, we go through all the great thinkers in history," he explains.

" I would argue that there is no better way to understand the present and perceive the future than to look back at history." The challenge, he explains, is to apply these lessons to today's days and problems.

Having now finished the course, in this episode he highlights how the programme prepared him for the future, with a strong focus on reports, essays, networking, public communication and, above all, debates.

But what he emphasises most and what made him choose IEP were the teachers and the "teacher-student relationship that you cannot find anywhere else", highlighting the teachers' openness and availability. "This course at the Universidade Católica was the best in this area, it had the best teachers, I even see the teachers more at home on TV than I do at university," he says laughing, so he invites young people who share his dream to come and visit.

Listen to the full episode on Spotify