ChallengeEU Ambassadors Represent the Alliance at Student Expo at the UWM

Student Expo took place on 5 November at the University Library. The academic community had the opportunity to explore the offerings of student research clubs, cultural groups, student organisations and learn more about their everyday activities. Among the many opportunities available.

Iwona Pająk, Chair of the UWM Student Government, which organised the event, and a member of the ChallengeEU Student Council, says that what makes this event unique is that it is aimed at those who no longer need to be encouraged to pursue higher education, but can still be inspired to engage in various activities.

“The idea is to encourage students and PhD students to realise that it is worth developing their skills and pursuing their passions, because we live in times when a degree alone is not enough. We need to know and be able to do more, and above all, we need to be able to put theoretical knowledge into practice”, adds Iwona Pająk.

Prof. Paweł Wysocki, Vice-Rector for Education and a member of the Academic Council, also sees Student Expo as an important event in terms of encouraging students to get involved in activities that benefit both the university, the wider community, as well as themselves.

“Student Expo is organised by the University Student Government Council, which means that students are essentially reaching out to their peers. As a result, there is no barrier between them. They know how to communicate information about university life and studies effectively because they understand each other’s needs”, emphasises Vice-Rector Paweł Wysocki.

The ChallengeEU Alliance was also an essential part of an event like this.

“We talked about the ChallengeEU Alliance – which universities are part of it, what its activities involve, the ideas it is guided by and the opportunities it creates for students. We encouraged students to take part in mobility programmes and make use of joint educational offers, training sessions and workshops. We emphasised that the Alliance organises both online and in-person initiatives, so there is definitely something for everyone,” said Oliwier Jakubiak.

Visitors to the ChallengeEU stand could not only chat with the ambassadors but also take part in interactive activities, such as discovering which university best matched their personality or matching university names with their respective countries and locating them on a map of Europe. Promotional materials and information leaflets were also available.

“I am convinced that thanks to Student Expo, many new students learned what ChallengeEU is all about. A large part of our community already knows about the Alliance, but today we also welcomed people who said they had heard something about it but did not know the details or the opportunities it offers. We are very happy that we were able to clear up all their doubts,” said Bożena Sumara.

Maciej Mihal also found it very rewarding to be able to share with his fellow students what is happening within the ChallengeEU Alliance.

“Being a ChallengeEU ambassador brings me great joy, especially because we have the opportunity to promote the Alliance within our local academic community. I really enjoyed talking about the Alliance’s activities during Student Expo. What makes me even more optimistic is the fact that there was so much interest in what we had to share”, added Maciej.

Bożena, Oliwier and Maciej have only recently taken on their roles as ambassadors. Taking part in Student Expo was one of their first activities, giving them the opportunity to introduce themselves to their fellow students and quite literally become the faces of the Alliance.

They also shared their first impressions of their new roles.

“Being a ChallengeEU ambassador definitely requires me to step out of my comfort zone when it comes to social interactions, particularly in situations such as public speaking. I think that if I were not part of the Alliance, I would not have these opportunities, which is why I value this experience so much,” Bożena said.

“I agree with Bożena that being an ambassador allows me to work on my weaker areas. I am also happy to meet so many new people, including those who are part of the ChallengeEU Alliance. It is a very interesting and valuable initiative. It is great that someone wants to take higher education in Europe to another level and create new opportunities for students to develop,” Oliwier added.

The University of Warmia and Mazury was also represented at Student Expo by Julia Wysocka, who served as a ChallengeEU ambassador during the previous academic year as well.

“I am very happy to have been selected as an ambassador again. To me, it shows that I am doing a good job for the Alliance, and it motivates me to take on new challenges,” Julia said. She added that the Alliance’s activities are gaining momentum and that it can offer young people more and more opportunities.

“I am fortunate to be able to compare this year with the previous one, and I have no doubt that the Alliance is growing. Last year, I developed my networking skills, which I now use every day, including in my role as an ambassador.”

The presence of ChallengeEU representatives at the student fair at the University of Warmia and Mazury also provided an opportunity to look back on events organised within the Alliance so far. These included the ChallengeEU 1st Annual Conference, FHNW Exploration Week, the ambassadors’ meeting at Universidad Europea de Valencia and Art and Science Day. Visitors explored a photo presentation showcasing these events, which provided a great opportunity to talk about what has been achieved so far, and getting to know the people working every day to build an inclusive higher education system in Europe.