If you have not heard about the Member of The Month articles that The AEGEEan publishes every month, then it is about time you get to know it better, and what could be a better way for that than looking back at the 12 members who stood out from the crowd in 2012.
Jana Pokorna – Member of the Month in January
Being very active on the European Level in projects such as the Visa Freedom Working Group, Jana Pokorna, from AEGEE-Praha and AEGEE-Istanbul, was the first Member of the Month last year, in January. In a close interview with Jana, The AEGEEan got to know and had the chance to share with you her passion for Turkey, her mentality as being German and her AEGEE experience of course.
Moving on to February, three members became Members of the Month for their great contribution to the EBM reform. So, if you are heading to Valletta next month, or you are just curious to get to know some more information about the EBM, then look into the interview here.
In March, it was time to go to Spain where Sandra Tena from AEGEE-Castelló was chosen as Member of the Month because of her involvement in the organisation of European School 2. Similarly, Didi Jaskólska from AEGEE-Turun became Member of the Month in April due to her work, organising the much-talked about NWM Turun, which seemed like a mini EBM with its 200 participants.
Sylwia Ksiazek Member of the Month in May
And we stay in Poland to find the Member of the Month of May Sylwia Ksiazek who informed us about her experience with organising another important event, namely the Training4Trainers. In the neighbouring Ukraine, we find the Member of the Month of June – Former AEGEEan Magazine proofreader and, more importantly, former Network Commission speaker, Olga Iatsyna. In the interview Olga tells The AEGEEan with joy: “While reading my nomination I could not get rid of the feeling that it is about somebody else, but not me. I simply cannot be so nice! Many times proofreading interviews of former Members of the Month I read that they never expected this nomination…”
And the surprises continued in July when one of those AEGEE members who always has many participants in his Agora workshops, Fabian Brüggemann became Member of the Month. When asked whether or not he was expecting the nomination, he said: “No, I seriously did not expect it. It was a nice surprise, having been approached by Ada and being told I had been nominated for this month. “
Maurits Korse Member of the Month in August
Summer equals Summer Universities in AEGEE and that was of course the focus of the nominations when finding the Member of the Month in August, who finally became Maurits Korse. In his interview, he gave the magazine a deeper insight into the work of the Summer University Coordination Team.
The next person’s antenna was the first antenna to be honoured by being Local of the Month back in 2011, but it was also without any doubt that Armenak Minasyants deserved to become Member of the Month in September. After Armenak, the focus was again on Summer Universities when choosing the Member of the Month in October. It was awarded to Hara Kogkou who has been part of SUCT for two years, and who is editor-in-chief of the SU 25 years anniversary booklet these days.
Then, in November Amandine Scocard from AEGEE-Paris became the honorary Member of the Month. At Agora Budapest, she provided The AEGEEan journalist, Olga Volovyk with the opportunity to video interview her about the work she does for AEGEE.
Sygrit Andringa Member of the Month in December
Last but definitely not least, Sygrit Andringa received the well-deserved title of being Member of the Month of December. In her interview, she gives a close insight into the life of the chair team and she talks about what goes on behind the scenes of the organisation of a statutory event.
Congratulations Jana, Thomas, Katja, Patrick, Sandra, Didi, Sylwia, Olga, Fabian, Maurits, Armenak, Hara, Amandine and Sygrit and thank you for contributing with so much hard work in 2012 to AEGEE. We hope that it will continue many more years.
The team behind The AEGEEan listens to your sugggestions every month, and every team member votes to your nominees so as to find the Member of the Month. Your ideas are important to the success of this process, and it is always a joy to hear stories from active AEGEEans and their achievements within the Network. We cannot stress enough how much your nominations are appreciated, so keep sending us your suggestions, active AEGEE members, for Member of the Month right here.
Written by Patricia Anthony, AEGEE-København