From the Classroom to the WTO: WTI Students Visit Geneva’s Trade Powerhouses

The World Trade Institute’s current MILE and TRAIL+ class travelled to Geneva for a Career Day, offering graduating students an exceptional opportunity to engage directly with leading institutions and practitioners shaping the future of international trade and investment law. Through a series of visits and discussions, students gained first-hand insight into the realities of international trade practice and the evolving global trade environment. The sessions combined technical depth with candid reflections on contemporary challenges and trends, providing participants with both practical perspective and inspiration as they prepare for careers in the field.

Through visits and discussions with professionals from the WTO, International Trade Centre, IISD, World Bank, and Boston Consulting Group, students were able to connect classroom learning with the realities of contemporary trade governance and practice. More than a professional exposure visit, the programme became a meaningful moment of intellectual exchange, mentorship, and community-building.

Students expressed appreciation for the opportunity to engage with WTI alumni and for the thoughtful organization and guidance provided throughout the mission by the WTI faculty and coordinators. For many participants, the experience left a lasting impression.

As Harendra Singh reflected, “It is the kind of experience that shapes not only one’s thinking, but also one’s sense of what is possible.”

He further described the alumni gathering as the first time he truly felt part of the international trade law community, highlighting the warmth and openness that characterized the trip to Geneva.

Mateus Chale similarly emphasized the value of the program’s substantive and practical orientation: “The experience was both insightful and inspiring. I particularly appreciated the technical depth of the sessions, including the thoughtful assessments of the current state and evolving trends in the global trade and investment environment and practice.”

Career days are just one way the WTI demonstrates the institute’s commitment to bridging academic excellence with professional practice, while strengthening the sense of community that supports students as they enter the world of international economic law.