You might not know Stephanie Müller’s name yet, but you have certainly come across the work she has done. As editor-in-chief of The AEGEEan, she works behind the scenes every day to make sure that us, AEGEE members, can share our latest achievements and get inspiration from others in the organisation. Now she aims even higher: as the newly selected editor-in-chief of the Key to Europe, she would like to show externals that AEGEE is capable of achieving more than one might think.
The topics Stephanie likes to write about the most are travelling and student politics.
The AEGEEan: First of all, congratulations for being chosen for the editor-in-chief of the Key to Europe! It seems that journalism is your passion; how did you get involved in this field in the first place?
Stephanie: I got involved in journalism four years ago, while being on Erasmus in Oslo. By chance, I received an email about an initiative to start a newspaper for the exchange students in the city. I took this opportunity to express myself, write about the trips I had been on, how I saw the country, and I loved this experience! After returning to Heidelberg, I joined the student newspaper where I was writing about more serious topics, which was also nice. I was mostly interested in university politics and wanted to inform students about what changes were taking form and what was going on behind the scenes. This was often challenging, as you have to be prepared and really professional if you want to do this job successfully. You have to show people that you really want to be a journalist. Besides university politics, I was also writing about cultural topics. I interviewed some authors who were visiting the city and wrote about the latest movies or plays at the theatre. This job had its perks, of course, and I often got free tickets to the first row. When I saw the open call about The AEGEEan, I thought: this is just what I was looking for! I applied both as a journalist and as an editor-in-chief. I wasn’t sure if I had enough experience or a good enough application to become the editor-in-chief, but I was lucky enough to get the opportunity to run the magazine. Working in The AEGEEan gave me the courage to apply as the editor-in-chief of the Key to Europe. I’ve seen the yearbook many times and was astonished by its great quality but never really knew who the people behind it were or how it was prepared.
Which one is your favourite edition of the Key to Europe?
I have to say that I don’t really have a favourite one. They are like history books where you can get in touch with AEGEE’s past.
What are the elements that you want to keep from the previous years’ editions, and which new ones would you like to add?
I like the events calendar very much, as the highlights for every month give a good overview of what has happened that year. In the last edition I missed some information about Working Groups and Committees, so I would like to include more on this topic. I would also like to have more photos in the publication, at least one for every article, as we have very talented photographers in the network whose work we could use.
An important issue that I would like to address with the next Key to Europe is the future of the Youth in Action programme. By the events, by everything we do successfully, we have to show that it is worth to keep the programme going. We need to prove that the grant is needed, as many projects – for example “Where does Europe end?” – could not have been carried out without this kind of financial support.
What motivates you when working for The AEGEEan and what has motivated you to apply as the editor-in-chief of the Key to Europe?
It’s the team spirit that motivates me. Everyone has the same dream as I; to tell people that we can achieve great things if we believe in the organisation, and with our articles, we can show people what we are capable of doing. All the efforts that the team members make, and the energy they have motivates me to do even more.
As for the Key to Europe, my experience in The AEGEEan gave me the trust that I am ready to become the editor-in-chief. It really motivated me when people told me The AEGEEan and the work we do is great and I felt that I would like to take on this new challenge.
You said team spirit motivates you. What do you look for in potential team members for the Key to Europe?
I’m looking for motivated people who like to write about AEGEE, are interested in proofreading, design or photography. And with this team we would create the next edition by Agora Budapest.
"I can’t stay too long in one place, I have to travel"
Besides The AEGEEan and the Key to Europe, what other projects are you involved in?
As for AEGEE, I am in the core team who would like to submit an application for the next spring Agora on behalf of AEGEE-Heidelberg and the surrounding locals. This is very big project, and besides this, I am also involved in local events.
When it comes to life outside AEGEE, I study Egyptology, Classical Archaeology and Philosophy, and I am involved in the Student Union of my faculty. Also, I have to say that I love traveling and discovering the world. I can’t stay too long in one place, I have to travel a lot. I lived abroad several times, last year in Egypt, where I spent three months.
Thank you very much for your answers. So how will you celebrate becoming the editor-in-chief of the Key to Europe?
We’re having an event in Heidelberg this weekend with members from AEGEE-Leiden, so I guess I’ll be celebrating with them.
Written by Zsófia Komáromi, AEGEE-Budapest