New scholarship holders welcomed at Spökslottet
It is a mild early autumn evening when Stockholm University welcomes new Swedish Institute scholarship holders at master's level. The event is held at the historic Spökslottet (Scheffler Palace) in central Stockholm.
After an opening speech by the University's Head of International Office, Åsa Petri, the newcomers are taken on a guided tour among the building's many antique paintings and furniture. In the tour’s final room a modern take on traditional Swedish finger food and refreshments awaits the students who happily take the chance to mingle and network.
The SI scholarship holders and master's students inside Spökslottet.
Looking forward to a real winter
“I’m going to study the Master’s Programme in AI for Health”, Julian Corso from Colombia says. “I went on a family holiday to Sweden last year and found it amazing. That’s probably a contributing factor to why I decided to apply for this scholarship and to Stockholm University. But the programme and its specialization was definitely the deciding factor.”
Julian Corso from Colombia is going to study Master's Programme in AI for Health.
The SI Scholarship for Global Professionals is awarded to ambitious professionals who want to contribute to the sustainable development of their home countries. Julian has a background as a physician in Colombia. By studying AI for Health he hopes to bring a lot of new knowledge to the Colombian healthcare sector.
“I want to use my knowledge in clinical practice and decision-making back home”, he explains.
In addition to educational and professional development Julian is looking forward to growing on a personal level during his stay in Sweden.
“This is a completely new social environment for me with lots of new people. And I’ve never experienced a real winter before so that will be exciting. I made sure to take plenty of Colombian coffee with me so that I can keep warm.”
On the AI for Health programme he will be joined by Abdullah Alshehab from Iraq.
“I come from an engineering background”, Abdullah says. “It’s my first time in Europe and I hope to discover something completely different from home. It will be interesting to get to know how things work here.”
A university well-known for law programmes
Peerada Kaiyoonrawong is a lawyer from Thailand who is looking forward to her master of laws at Stockholm University.
Peerada Kaiyoonrawong from Thailand is another SI scholarship holder. In her home country she’s a lawyer specializing in corporate and commercial law. At Stockholm University she’s going to study Master of Laws in European Intellectual Property Law. She enjoys being a lawyer and has always found that law studies suit her aptitude for reading and memorizing long texts.
“Stockholm University is well-known for its law programmes. There are many fields to choose from here. It’s my first time in Sweden and Europe and it’s very different from Thailand. The weather is so cold but I can handle it”, she smiles.
Peerada can't wait to explore Swedish culture but made sure to pack her Thai rice cooker before leaving home. Just like Julian she wants to take new knowledge back to her home country once she graduates from Stockholm University.
Maksym Baryshov, an assistant attorney of law from Ukraine, will join Peerada on the Master of Laws in European Intellectual Property Law.
“I really want to study this programme as it's IP-based”, he explains. “I’m also very interested in the methodology and the way of studying here, that you study the subjects one by one.”
SI scholarship holders Abdullah Alshehab, Kartika Nikova, Maksym Baryshov and Alsu Karimova.
Helpful people who smile a lot
Alsu Karimova from Azerbaijan is yet another law student but has chosen the Master of Laws in International Commercial Arbitration.
“This programme at Stockholm University is really specialized and I feel so lucky to be able to study here. I also think it's a good place to build a network”, she says and adds:
“I really like this city and I love the people. Before I arrived I had heard that Swedes can be a little bit cold. That’s not true! The people I’ve met are very helpful and smile a lot. Everything is perfect.”
Kartika Nikova, an assistant researcher in her native Indonesia, is going to embark on master’s studies in information systems.
Jeanette Peterberg gives a guided tour of the building.
“It’s my first time in Europe and the cold weather is a new experience to me. But I’ve been told that there is no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothes”, she smiles while referring to this old Swedish saying.
Jeanette Peterberg, Head of Unit at Spökslottet and the evening’s tour guide, is very happy to welcome the SI scholarship holders at the palace.
“Spökslottet is very much part of the University’s identity. I think it’s especially nice for new students to visit this building. It’s also very international with all the art from different painters and countries.”
Read more about master's programmes at Stockholm University
Last updated: 2026-09-17
Source: Communications Office