CIVICA Ambassadors range from undergraduate students to postdoctoral researchers, and represent each university in the alliance. Their role is to promote interaction and exchange within the alliance’s communities, and be a first point of contact to CIVICA for their peers.
The Ambassadors network actively shapes CIVICA by initiating bottom-up projects and participating in formal and informal alliance activities.
Meet the SNSPA’s CIVICA Ambassadors for the academic year 2022/23 below.
Joanna Grams moved from Poland to Romania in 2017 and is currently pursuing a MA degree in Communication and EU Affairs at Faculty of Communication and Public Relations at SNSPA. She graduated with a BA in European Studies at Jagiellonian University in Cracow, Poland. With over 5 years of experience of living abroad and working in multicultural teams she is effectively navigating cross-cultural differences. Her interests include intercultural communication, disinformation and media literacy, public diplomacy, and Polish-Romanian relations. In March 2022 Joanna represented SNSPA at the 1st edition of the European Student Assembly in Strasbourg.
Did you participate in a CIVICA activity so far?
Student project (futurEU, European Student Assembly, The Report on the Future of Europe, etc.).
How is European cooperation relevant to your studies/research/extracurricular projects?
Strong European cooperation is our daily reality. Learning mobility and collaboration between universities is an opportunity for students, academics, and researchers to develop valuable skills and expand their horizons. It supports students and professionals who wish to gain experience abroad. Thanks to cross-border cooperation and projects we are able to promote and develop skills necessary in today’s globalising world – intercultural communication, digital literacy, critical thinking, sustainability, and creativity and prepare for being future leaders.
How can you and your colleagues/peers benefit from your university’s participation in the CIVICA alliance?
Being part of CIVICA provides students with multiple interdisciplinary opportunities with the support of an accomplished and ambitious international community. Experiencing the diversity and complexity of the current highly interconnected world as part of the Alliance is an enriching opportunity. It allows us to grow and develop the right competencies and diverse set of perspectives to deliver efficient and straightforward solutions in various fields in compliance with CIVICA values. The exchange of good practices and knowledge can strengthen multi-campus cooperation and improve the academic experience of students.
What does CIVICA mean to you?
First and foremost for me CIVICA is about people – open-mixed, loyal, united, passionate, and ambitious. Through their cooperation and involvement it is possible to find solutions to current and future challenges, as well as promote civic engagement, sustainable development, and inclusive advocacy. It is also an opportunity to contribute to the development and promotion of quality education and research opportunities, as well as have an impact on shaping today’s world. I find the beauty of being a CIVICA member and Ambassador in participating in interconnected projects that are touching all corners of collaboration between universities with citizens, business, and policy-makers.
What will be some of your priorities as a CIVICA Ambassador?
I want to be able to reach people and to give impact to my surroundings. I want to represent my community in the best possible way and foster intercultural and multidisciplinary initiatives which can be a valuable experience for students. I hope to use my privilege to support and empower others and offer insight on opportunities offered by CIVICA Alliance and benefits of involvement in international initiatives.
What kind of student-led initiatives connecting the CIVICA student & PhD communities would you like to develop/pursue in the CIVICA context? We look forward to hearing your own ideas! You can also…
Currently I don’t have any ideas for a new initiative but I’m staying open and curious. I will support my colleagues in any way necessary, and join projects that are suiting my interests. I would like to see more student-led research projects like the one titled “Towards a More Optimal Eurozone”. I am also looking forward to the 2nd edition of the European Student Assembly (I took part in the 1st edition) and if possible I would like to get involved as well with my experience from the 1st edition. If I have any new proposals for initiatives, I will communicate it.
Marica Alexandra-Bianca is a second-year student at the Faculty of Public Administration (SNSPA), majoring in European Administration. She took part in a series of international projects, the most recent being “Transnational ACT-IT-OUT Performance Masterclasses”, organized by ATCL, Rossellini, Rome, 3rd-7th of October and the cultural events dedicated to CIVICA, from Sciences Po, Paris, 16th-17th of September, the workshop at which she participated being the photography one. She is delighted to meet new people and to be part of this CIVICA project.
Did you participate in a CIVICA activity so far?
CIVICA sport or cultural events.
How is European cooperation relevant to your studies/research/extracurricular projects?
I have the opportunity to meet people from different parts and I learn to work in a team with people I have never met before.
How can you and your colleagues/peers benefit from your university’s participation in the CIVICA alliance?
It is a project where young people have the courage to freely express their point of view, an opening to many opportunities having links with a number of renowned European universities.
What does CIVICA mean to you?
For me, the CIVICA project means trust in the future of young people, a project where young people have the courage to freely express their point of view, an opening to many opportunities having links with a number of renowned European universities. I think, from my point of view, the most important thing is to participate in activities, to get involved and be efficient, to have proposals, to promote legitimate interests, to act and I can’t wait to see what happens next.
What will be some of your priorities as a CIVICA Ambassador?
I think the most important thing is to participate in activities, to get involved and be efficient, to have proposals, to promote legitimate interests, to act.
What kind of student-led initiatives connecting the CIVICA student & PhD communities would you like to develop/pursue in the CIVICA context? We look forward to hearing your own ideas! You can also…
One of the themes I would address in the future would be related to involvement in activities to find solutions to climate change, developing an ecological consciousness and why not, activities related to increasing the quality of life, using new technologies to express opinions, interests and youth concerns.
Also, young people with special needs or from disadvantaged areas can be involved in the activities of a society that we want to improve, an example of an activity could be called “Solutions by young people for young people”.
