She is a true AEGEE addict, full of energy for the association: On 15th of December 2012 Spyroula Masiala was elected President of AEGEE-Athína, The Golden Times asked her about the plans of her antenna for 2013. There are a lot. Spyroula: “I can assure you that AEGEE-Athína will impress the whole Network this year!” Read more about her and her antenna in the Golden Times interview.
Golden Times: Spiroula, congratulations for being elected President! Tell us about yourself: where are you from, how old are you, what do you study?
Spiroula Masiala: Thank you very much! Well, I was born 22 years ago in Lamia, a small town in the center of Greece and I lived there for almost the first 18 years of my life! Five years ago, I moved to Athens to study Economics science in the Athens University of Economics and Business!
Golden Times: How and when did you join AEGEE-Athína? Is there an interesting story about it?
Spiroula: I am an official AEGEE member only since January 2012! After my spring semester as Erasmus student in Germany, I returned to Greece and my little sister Dora told me that she had joined AEGEE-Athina! She was an organiser in AEGEE-Athina’s Summer University 2011 and she told me everything about the great moments she had. I started to search on the web about AEGEE: vision, history, mission and the events. After that, I participated in AEGEE-Athina’s LTC and I learned more and more about my antenna. One month later I jointed AEGEE-Athina and the SU organisation team and I started to organise our last Summer University!
Golden Times: That’s a fast career! What other hobbies and interests do you have aside from AEGEE?
Spiroula: Well, I like to travel a lot and to spend time with friends from all the countries in Europe! I love to cook for my friends and to watch movies with them, to listen to music and to read books. Moreover, I am a volunteer teacher for mathematics for immigrant high school students in another organisation in Athens. I also spend some free time trying to learn how to play guitar by myself. Hopefully one day I will manage to play a whole song!
Golden Times: Tell us about AEGEE-Athína.
Spiroula: AEGEE-Athina at this moment has almost 100 members. 2012 was a really great year for my antenna! We organised a successful SU, one very good LTC and one local trip, named “Athinaiki”, for our members to the Greek island Agkistri. Moreover we were partners in three Youth in Action Projects. In the first one, ‘’Peacebuilding in Europe.Youth vs Conflicts’’, we were promoters with AEGEE-Oviedo, AEGEE-Yerevan, AEGEE-Budapest, AEGEE-Kyiv, AEGEE-Tbilisi, AEGEE-Ankara and the National Youth Council of Moldova. Four AEGEE-Athina members had the opportunity to travel to Oviedo and learn how to vanquish the conflicts between the participants’ countries.
Golden Times: What were the other Youth in Action Programmes about?
Spiroula: The second one was called ‘’The sunniest in Europe meets the sunniest in Caucasus’’, AEGEE-Athina was promoter with AEGEE-Yerevan and 14 members of my antenna, including me, travelled to Yerevan. We learned how to get close with the Armenian youth through culture and sports. The last but not least, in “The Arc Training” we were promoters with AEGEE-Las Palmas, AEGEE-Prague, AEGEE-Budapest and many others youth organisations. All of the projects were amazing and gave us huge knowledge in the organisation of YiA projects! Finally, we organised a lot of successful fun events, like concerts, Latin parties and masque party!
Golden Times: What are the main plans of your board for 2013?
Spiroula: The new board is full of ideas and energy. We are still talking about our antenna’s plans! We started to organise our Summer University and we submitted our application to host the next HRES! We are also thinking about organizing a big LTC or RTC and a completely new programme of youth exchanges with other antennas! I can assure you that AEGEE-Athina will impress the whole Network this year!
Golden Times: Which event of your antenna in 2013 should no AEGEE member miss?
Spiroula (smiles): That depends on the member! We will provide you a big variety of events and projects but personally I think that all AEGEEans should live through a Summer University in Greece!
Golden Times: AEGEE-Athína organised three successful Agoras already. Do you plan to organise one too?
Spiroula: It would be our honor! I think that Agora is one of the most difficult and demanding events of AEGEE, we need a huge amount of experienced organisers and members willing to help, but personally I would do my best so AEGEE-Athina would organise one Agora too, in the next years!
Golden Times: What’s your dream job today? And: as a child, what did you dream to be your future job after growing up?
Spiroula: As a child, I remember that I wanted to work as a singer, but some years after I listened to my voice and I realised that I couldn’t make it. After that, I wanted to be a teacher too, but some years after I realised that I can’t stand little children. So now I want a job related to my studies so I would love to work as a project manager in a company or as a financial consultant. We‘ll see!!
Golden Times: What are your future plans in AEGEE? Will we see you on European level of AEGEE?
Spiroula: Well, for the next 12 months, I will be the president of AEGEE-Athína and I want to focus on my obligations in my antenna! But, in the future, I would like to join a working group, for example the Human Rights Working Group or the International Politics Working Group, and I would like to join and help as much as I can the Youth Unemployment Project! So yes, I think that maybe in the future you are going see me on European level.
Golden Times: What was the best event you’ve visited so far in AEGEE?
Spiroula: I really enjoy the European School of Entrepreneurship 2 in Santander, which took place three months ago, because the trainings were very interesting and helpful for my studies, the city was beautiful and the team of the participants was really great and made the workshops and the sessions so funny!
Golden Times: I met you for the first time in Yerevan. How did you like Armenia?
Spiroula: Armenia is a really beautiful country, with a lot of green and picturesque sceneries. I was really impressed by the similarities between the Greek and the Armenian culture and especially by the information that I gained about their history and their way of living. For sure I will never forget the photos of the Armenian Genocide that I saw in the museum and I am very glad that I had this trip.
Golden Times: Where would you like to go with AEGEE in 2013?
Spiroula: I would love to go to the next Autumn Agora in Zaragoza! I had really good time in Spain and I can’t wait for my next trip there!
Golden Times: Now please complete this sentence: “AEGEE is for me…”
Spiroula: AEGEE is for me a way to travel all around Europe, to meet new people and make good friends, to live great experiences and learn how to be a tolerant and an open-mind person!
Golden Times: How would you describe yourself in five keywords?
Spiroula: Open-minded, ambitious , helpful, organised, AEGEE-addicted.
