Yevgeniya Gagarkina is a 20 years old girl from AEGEE-Kyïv running for the position of PR responsible in the  Summer University Coordination Team (SUCT), who is “ready to work both on external and internal PR, and to help all the SUCT with challenging job that we will set up for ourselves.”

The AEGEEan: Hey there, Yevgeniya! Tell us a little bit about yourself.

Yevgeniya: So I am a young, optimistic and determined girl, who enjoys life and what she is doing. I like playing beach volleyball, sending postcards, watching movies and communicating with different people. Marketing and Bbusiness Management is my major in one of the best Ukrainian universities, my home country is Ukraine, and I am proud of it! Also I am waiting for the bravest AEGEEans, who will discover our capital during #AutumnAgoraKyiv2015 soon [she smiles, ed.].

 You are a last-minute candidate for the SU Coordination Team! What made you decide to run for it?

Well, I’ve been thinking of candidating for this position for quite a long time, but I was not 100% sure since I had another opportunity which would take a lot of my time. I was sure that I couldn’t combine both of them, so once things became as they are now, I decided that it is destiny and the right decision and I shouldn’t wait any longer.

You’ve mentioned in your application that “I know how to make every summer unforgettable”. Which are your tricks?

The point is that summer is the only time when I feel completely free to be myself, even if I have some work. I am a thrill-seeker, so every summer is very different through the places I visit, the things I do, people I spend my time with, the emotions I get. One thing I know for sure: summer cannot be that bright without Summer University!

What is your AEGEE experience on the field on Summer University Coordination?

In 2014 I became a helper on AEGEE-Kyïv’s TSU “RadioACTIVE”, right after participating in the amazing AEGEE-Ljubljana and AEGEE-Udine TSU ‘Cultures beyond the border’. After being a participant I knew how I would like to organise this kind of event, which definitely had an influenced on me during “RadioACTIVE”. This year I went further and was one of the organisers of TSU “Across the UAniverse” from the very beginning.

What do you consider to be your pros and cons in the professional field?

My main benefit is that I do this, because I am really interested in PR and marketing in general. I have not only fundamental theoretical knowledge, but also practical skills and different related experience – and I keep on enlarging it. The main con might be the fact that sometimes I have too many ideas and I want to make all them come true, which means that I take too much responsibility.

Which was the best Summer University you organised and why? Tell us a great memory you have from it.

Well, honestly, I’ve been an organiser of only one SU – TSU of all Ukrainian antennas “Across the UAniverse”. Anyway it is worth to name it “the best one”! [she smiles, ed] I enjoyed the mood of the participants, they were really curious not only about what is going on in this country, but also about our culture, traditions and habits. One of the greatest memories is kayaking on the Dniester river – it was so hard, but so much fun! And then we stayed all night on the river bank, enjoying the great atmosphere, listening to traditional songs – unexpected performance from local citizen, eating food cooked by us and of course feeling the AEGEE-spirit.

What is going be the most important part of the application form for next year? How do you propose to fix it?

In my opinion the Summer University is not the same as the Erasmus+ program, so questions and information asked there are relevant, and not worthless. The exact questions that you ask can’t be solved only by me, and surely have to be discussed with the whole coordination team, but I don’t think that application form won’t be essential this year. Also I’d love to conduct some surveys among SUs organisers, and maybe among the  participants so that we can get the feedback and know better, what exactly was worthless, what needs to be added, opinions on privacy issue and how to improve the form.

Written by Gabriela Cioata, AEGEE-Bucuresti

Ralitsa Mihaylova is a 20-year-old girl from AEGEE-Berlin, originally from Bulgaria. The “Bulgarian Bear”, how she calls herself,  is running for a position in the Summer University Coordination Team and relies on her web development skills and knowledge in order to be selected. She has been in AEGEE for only eight months now, but she considers that AEGEE “gives me back twice the energy and experience I put into it and a chance to use my skills to create something I’m really passionate about”.

The AEGEEan: Tell us a little bit about yourself.

Ralitsa: I am just a regular Bulgarian bear that studies Computer science in Berlin, enjoys eating and spends the winters sleeping. When I was four I stole a pokemon collection and when I am alone at home I like to put on my gangsta rap playlist and my sunglasses and do absolutely nothing.

How did you become a part of the AEGEE team?

My friend Liliana tried to convince me to join for about a year, but her stories were so awesome I thought she was making them up [she smiles.ed]. Then I went to my first event – an exchange with AEGEE-Wroclaw and AEGEE-Dresden, and everything started making sense. I did not just become a part of the team, I started being active, which is very rare for a bear!

What is your AEGEE experience?

For a short period of time I have been an active member, I pretty much said yes to every opportunity I had. After the amazing exchange, which was a preparation for the TSU Adventure Time: The return of the rabbits, I participated in an LTC in Leipzig, where I mostly learned how little I know about organizing events, and I am very thankful that I did. After that I took active part in the planning of our SU, which was one of the coolest experiences I have ever been a part of. Right now I am the vice coordinator of NWM Berlin, so if you want to make fun of me in case I fail, or have an awesome time in case I succeed, APPLY!!

Which is the memory you most value from your AEGEE activity, personal or professional?

The first thing that comes to mind is my birthday, which my parents carefully planned 20 years ago so it can be in the middle of TSU Adventure Time! We were camping at a lake in Berlin, so the plan was to have a chill night. Just when I started to accept the thought that no one wants to do anything, It turned out I had the best secret friend in AEGEE history, who organized a pretty wild surprise for me! It involved ,,Don’t Cha” by the Pussycat Dolls, 5 guys and their hats [she smiles]. After that we had a big bonfire and went swimming in the lake. It was really amazing that even though I had only known most of the people there for a few days, they made this day one of the best in my life so far!

You are running for a place in the Summer University Coordination Team. Which are the qualities and experiences that recommend you for the job?

I am running for IT-Responsible, so web development skills are implied. I enjoy coding and do it not only in my studies, but also in my free time. I am ready to put in the work and time to maintain the website, I am full of ideas for ways to improve the user experience and extremely motivated to make them happen. Other than that I have experience with event coordinating, graphic design and PR – things I am doing right now for NWM Berlin,  so I would be able to contribute to the work of the other team members. But probably my most important qualification is my love for the SU Project,  which not only makes me want to do the job, it makes me want to do my best at it! And let us not forget I am a bear. You simply do not say no to a bear.

Which was the best Summer University you organised and why?

TSU Adventure Time: The return of the rabbits definitely qualifies as my best, not just because it is the only one I have organized so far, but because knowing the amount of ideas and hard work put into it by the organizers, made seeing the results twice as exciting and satisfying. It was also a big learning experience for me personally. Every day I became aware of flaws and strengths in my actions and character, that I did not see before and got the chance to work on them in the process. I am really happy that I got to be a part of it!

Written by Gabriela Cioata, AEGEE-Bucuresti

You can read her full candidature here.