Created: 2025.11.05. 11:27
Tamara Lehoczky from Törökbálint is studying simultaneously at Harvard University in the United States and Széchenyi István University. In America, supported among others by the Pannónia Talent Programme, she studies Political Governance and East Asian Studies at one of the world’s best higher education institutions, which she complements in Győr with an English-taught undergraduate degree in International Relations. The programmes pursued on two continents serve the same purpose: the talented young woman would like to work in international diplomacy in the future.
Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, ranks fifth on the world university rankings of both Times Higher Education and Quacquarelli Symonds, thus counting as one of the best higher education institutions globally. As a member of the American Ivy League, it has educated such renowned figures as former presidents Barack Obama and John F. Kennedy, entrepreneur Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook, and actress Natalie Portman, while among its alumni there are also numerous Nobel Prize-winning scientists.
A current student of the institution is Tamara Lehoczky from Törökbálint, who at the same time studies at Széchenyi István University in Győr: with an individual study plan, she is in her second year of the English-taught undergraduate programme in International Relations. The determined young woman said that she is pursuing the two programmes in parallel so that she can complement her overseas experience with European, and specifically Hungarian, academic knowledge. Her career dream is to represent her country at the United Nations and, as a decision-maker, contribute to making the world a better place.
Tamara Lehoczky had prepared for years for university life abroad: a dream came true for her when she was given the opportunity to study in the United States
Before university, the young woman attended the Toldy Ferenc Grammar School in Budapest, where she first realised that she wanted to continue her studies abroad. She was admitted to several institutions – including Columbia University in the United States, Sciences Po in France (the Paris Institute of Political Studies), and the University of Hong Kong – but ultimately chose Harvard. She studies there on a scholarship, supported by the Pannónia Talent Programme.
“I am now in my second year and recently had to choose my major: I study Political Governance and East Asian Studies. The former is perhaps most similar to political science in Hungary, but it is more than that, as it includes international relations, comparative politics, American politics and political theory. All this is complemented by my focus on Chinese politics, which is very exciting as it fits well with my secondary specialisation, alongside which I also study the Chinese language,” explained Ms Lehoczky.
“At the same time, I am a student of the International Relations programme at the University in Győr. In the future, I would like to become a diplomat representing Hungary and the European Union, so it was very important for me to stay connected with my homeland and to learn even more about European diplomacy. It may also prove to be a great advantage in the future if I am not only familiar with the American context but also acquire knowledge from home,” she explained. She emphasised that she is grateful to Széchenyi University and its lecturers for their flexibility and support in her studies, and she looks forward to the opportunity to participate personally in the academic life of the institution, for instance at a conference.
The student revealed that during her year at Harvard she came to value the factual knowledge she had gained from Hungarian education, which, in her experience, many of her fellow students lack. “At the same time, I find the freely customisable curriculum of the American system excellent: I have few compulsory subjects, and even out of those, we can choose from ten to fifteen options to meet the requirements. This freedom enables us to make the most of the four years leading up to graduation and truly study what will be useful in our future careers,” she said.
Already in her first year, the Tamara was working towards her diplomatic dreams: in addition to becoming a member of Harvard University’s most prestigious student organisation dealing with foreign policy research and recommendations (Harvard Undergraduate Foreign Policy Initiative), she recently represented her university at a professional conference. The event, held at the United States Military Academy in West Point for students of American higher education, allowed the university to delegate only four young people – and the ambitious Hungarian was one of them.
“What I really love about Harvard’s culture is that everyone is genuinely kind and helpful. The competitive spirit is more about surpassing ourselves, and both professors and peers are supportive in that,” she said about her overseas experiences. She added that the sense of community is also strengthened by the fact that most students live in one of the on-campus dormitories, with the academic buildings within walking distance. She explained that moving abroad was a real culture shock for her, even though she had visited the United States several times as a tourist. “I live in Boston, which is the most European part of America, but it is still striking how significant the differences are compared with the customs at home. Everything is enormous: the food and drink portions, the cars, the streets – from a Hungarian point of view, it all feels quite strange,” she added.
Although Tamara Lehoczky is only in her second year, she already has numerous goals set for the coming years. “At Harvard, writing a thesis is not compulsory, but I would like to write one. It is perfect timing that I will spend my next semester at Tsinghua University in Beijing, where I can deepen my knowledge of Chinese foreign policy,” she said. “I also hope to work as an intern or part-time employee at a Hungarian foreign mission or at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. After graduation, I would like to return to Europe to obtain a master’s degree in the United Kingdom, and then embark on a diplomatic career.”
The student of Széchenyi István University is now spending her second academic year within the impressive walls of Harvard
