Soon the Agora Salerno stage will be full of candidates who want your vote! For sure you have read all about their programmes in the official booklet, so now you want to find out more about them, their hobbies, whether they can cook and which AEGEE member they would take with them on a deserted island. In short: classic first date questions from the Internet! The GT will take you on a date with the candidates. In this edition: Roberto Meneghetti from AEGEE-Torino, running for Member of Network Commission. Get ready, your date is starting now!

Golden Times: Are you afraid of your candidature speech on the Agora stage? And how will you prepare for it?
Roberto Meneghetti: Not that much, I have already made public speeches in the past, but I must admit the question line can be quite unpredictable! I will prepare my speech, so I can stay within time, and that’s pretty much it.

GT: Where would you be now if you hadn’t joined AEGEE?
Roberto: I have really no idea, probably something way more boring!

GT: How did you join AEGEE exactly? How did you find out about it?
Roberto: Since I was volunteering in music festivals, some colleagues told me there was this info meeting of this association. It was instant love.

GT: How long did it take you from the first moment you heard about it until you signed the membership form and joined AEGEE?
Roberto: Since they were offering LTC plus subscription, it was right that night!

GT: What’s the typical drink and food you bring to European Nights?
Roberto: San Simone, the typical Turinese amaro and Grana Padano cheese.

GT: At an AEGEE party where will we find you? On the dancefloor? Talking at the bar?
Roberto: I am really not the Reggaeton guy, so probably you will find me at the bar trying to get some motivation to appreciate the music.

GT: What was your first position in the local board?
Roberto: Treasurer!

GT: What was your favourite event as organiser – and why is it your favourite?
Roberto: It’s still “WINE 2017”… It was my first SU as organizer, the group was great, the chemistry of the organizing team, too. Simply a perfect memory.

GT: What was your first Agora and how did you feel there? Happy, excited, overwhelmed, lost?
Roberto: It was Agora Enschede 2017, I was quite lost in some way, also because I was delegate and everything was new to me, but I got a really nice support from my antenna fellows.

GT: Have you ever hichhiked to an AEGEE event? If yes, what’s your favourite hitchhiking story?
Roberto: Sadly in Italy is quite hard to hitchhike, the closest thing I have done is BlaBlaCar on a trip in Spain, but no interesting stories to declare.

GT: There is a classic typology of AEGEE members, dividing them according to the three aspects fun member, career member and idealist – to which percentage are you which of these aspects?
Roberto: 30/20/50.

GT: What do your parents think about the idea that you are so active in AEGEE?
Roberto: “It’s cool that you are seeing so many places! When are you graduating?”

Young Roberto

GT: What other hobbies do you have aside from AEGEE?
Roberto: Cinema, playing drums, politics, memes.

GT: What was the last book you really got into?
Roberto: Even if it’s comics, reading Corto Maltese in Siberia, when being in Siberia it was quite an experience!

GT: What TV series do you keep coming back to and re-watching?
Roberto: Bojack Horseman.

GT: What are some obscure things that you are or were really into?
Roberto: Dank hairdryer memes, reasonably priced cars, Fabio Fazio.

GT: What’s your favourite app on your phone?
Roberto: Telegram.

GT: What nickname do or did you have – and why?
Roberto: Many people grew on calling me Rob. But in AEGEE-Torino the game is calling me each time with a different variant of my Surname: Meneghello, Menegüell, Menegauss, Deleghetti, Helperghetti… Maybe time for Menecom?

GT: Do you like cooking and if yes – what’s your favourite dish you like to cook?
Roberto: Carbonara is always the secret weapon. I would like to learn how to make a good “cacio & pepe” though. Maybe when I will be old and wise I will also learn the art of shaolin Piedmontese cooking.

GT: What’s never missing in your fridge?
Roberto: Cheese.

GT: Did you consider joining a political party or maybe want to do it later?
Roberto: Gabriele Scollo tried to convince me, but let’s stick to AEGEE for the moment!

GT: What do you study – and why?
Roberto: Economics, because I want to understand the world around me while having a constant reality check.

GT: What’s your dream job?
Roberto: One where I can travel, meet many different people and be creative.

GT: What’s the favourite city or place on this planet you ever visited?
Roberto: Three answers without priority: London, Istanbul, Lake Baikal.

GT: And where would you really like to go?
Roberto: Canada would be great, I’ve never been on the other part of the Ocean…

GT: If you could take one AEGEE member to a desert island, who would it be? And why?
Roberto: Fabrizio Bellicano, he is a master of hermitage.

GT: This Agora is about walls – what was the most difficult wall you had to overcome?
Roberto: May sound trivial, but other people’s judgement.

GT: What’s your biggest frustration in AEGEE?
Roberto: The fact we struggle communicating how nice it is to the external public.

GT: Please complete the sentence: “AEGEE is for me…”
Roberto: A way to express myself!

GT: How would you describe yourself in a few keywords?
Roberto: Atypical, inventive, stubborn.