{"id":3251,"date":"2024-10-02T12:18:17","date_gmt":"2024-10-02T11:18:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.manchester.ac.uk\/hcri\/?p=3251"},"modified":"2024-10-04T12:27:33","modified_gmt":"2024-10-04T11:27:33","slug":"alumni-spotlight-kristina-torvik-coordinator-for-search-and-rescue-at-norwegian-red-cross","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.manchester.ac.uk\/hcri\/2024\/10\/02\/alumni-spotlight-kristina-torvik-coordinator-for-search-and-rescue-at-norwegian-red-cross\/","title":{"rendered":"Alumni Spotlight: Kristina Torvik, Coordinator for Search and Rescue at Oslo Red Cross"},"content":{"rendered":"

This is the first in a series of posts where alumni tell us about their experiences studying at HCRI and their life and work following graduation.<\/em><\/p>\n

This post was written by Kristina Torvik, who graduated with an MSc in International Disaster Management in 2023. Kristina now works at Oslo Red Cross, coordinating its volunteer search and rescue teams. Thank you for your insights Kristina!<\/em><\/p>\n

For more on HCRI courses, visit\u00a0the HCRI website<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"I, <\/span>as<\/span> many others, struggled for a long time to find my passion. <\/span>Having worked and studied within the field of humanitarianism for a while, I had gotten to understand the sector, and also how many different routes one could take within the sector.<\/span> My <\/span>previous<\/span> studies in global development and my experiences from teaching were great to h<\/span><\/span>ave, but <\/span>I still felt my trajectory<\/span> lacked focus. That is when I discovered the field of disaster management and the HCRI, and finally <\/span>realised<\/span> where I wanted to go with my career.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>
<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>
<\/span>During my year on the MSc International Disaster Management <\/span>programme<\/span> I got the opportunity to study alongside a wide variety of people, from all sorts of academic backgrounds, from all parts of the world, all with the same goal – to contribute positively in some of the world\u2019s most difficult of situations. It also helped me reflect on the fact that disasters can happen anywhere, and disaster management is a valuable field in any society.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>
<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>
<\/span>Through inspiring lectures, engaging seminars, and an institute small enough that you actually get to know your professors, the HCRI provided the foundation I needed from my studies. The interdisciplinary take on the topic of disaster management also allowed us students to get a fuller understanding of the complexities at hand in any crisis.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>
<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>
<\/span>No studies alone can ever fully prepare you for entering the job market. <\/span>It will be difficult, especially in a sector like ours.<\/span> I am currently working as a coordinator for the Oslo Red Cross volunteer search and rescue teams. I would <\/span>probably not<\/span> have gotten this job without my MSc in disaster management, but I would <\/span>probably not<\/span> have been ready <\/span>for it<\/span> without my years of volunteering for the <\/span>organisation<\/span> either.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>
<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>
<\/span>However, my studies have given me important tools that I use daily. In my job, I often discuss topics that I would not fully <\/span>comprehend<\/span> had it not been for my classes on topics ranging from mapping and drones to the politics of disasters. <\/span>At work I have written disaster preparedness plans, where you have to be as specific and detailed as possible, in as few words as possible.<\/span> I never thought I would appreciate the <\/span>500 word<\/span> essays we had to write for our theory and application course, but there I was, grateful to have learned to write short and concise texts on complex issues. My experience sitting at the negotiation table in\u00a0<\/span>our HCRI disaster simulations <\/span>help<\/span> me as I have moved on to negotiate real-life cooperation deals and guidelines. The duality of academic and real-life understanding of a topic is <\/span>maybe the<\/span> main lesson I take with me from my time with the HCRI. Apart from all the engaging discussions and wonderful people, both of which that year was full of.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

Links<\/strong><\/p>\n

For more on Oslo Red Cross, visit:\u00a0https:\/\/www.rodekors.no\/en\/lokalforeninger\/oslo\/english-pages\/<\/a><\/p>\n

For more on HCRI, visit:\u00a0https:\/\/www.hcri.manchester.ac.uk\/<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This is the first in a series of posts where alumni tell us about their experiences studying at HCRI and their life and work following graduation. This post was written by Kristina Torvik, who graduated with an MSc in International Disaster Management in 2023. Kristina now works at Oslo Red Cross, coordinating its volunteer search […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6208,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3251","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-alumni-spotlight","category-student-blogs"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.manchester.ac.uk\/hcri\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3251","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.manchester.ac.uk\/hcri\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.manchester.ac.uk\/hcri\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.manchester.ac.uk\/hcri\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6208"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.manchester.ac.uk\/hcri\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3251"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.manchester.ac.uk\/hcri\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3251\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3269,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.manchester.ac.uk\/hcri\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3251\/revisions\/3269"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.manchester.ac.uk\/hcri\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3251"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.manchester.ac.uk\/hcri\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3251"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.manchester.ac.uk\/hcri\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3251"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}