SUSI on Civic Engagement Summer Participants
Meet our wonderful SUSI participants! The SUSI on Civic Engagement is a special program that brings together students who care about being involved in their communities and making a difference. They are leaders, activists, teachers, and incredible students. They all have the same goal: to learn more about being involved in their communities and find ways to make positive changes in their home countries. Read about them below!
Arman A. is pursuing a Computer Science degree. He is also a graphic designer at Picsart. His favorite hobbies are around striving for continuous learning, as he believes knowledge is the key to personal and professional growth. He has a passion for computer science, graphic design, learning new things, photo and video editing, and gaming. These pursuits fuel his creativity, drive, and enthusiasm for exploring new horizons in the digital realm.
Artur H. is 21 years old and is originally from a small city called Martakert. He currently lives in Yerevan where he is pursuing higher education in engineering sciences. As a sophomore student, he is interested in mathematics and other subjects that allow creativity. He works as a graphic designer at Picsart and is passionate about travel, graphic design, and volunteer work. He believes exploring new places and cultures helps broaden his perspective and gain a deeper appreciation of the world.
Margarita A. is 19-years old. If she were to describe herself in one word, she would choose "dynamic". She constantly seeks new experiences and ways to improve herself, and developed a multitude of hobbies such as ice-skating, dancing, and drawing. As an extroverted individual, she cherishes spending time with my friends and creating enjoyable memories. She is pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Business, with a focus on marketing and management. Her ultimate goal is to hone her skills in both fields and become a specialist in marketing while also developing her managerial abilities.
Zhaneta H. is a 19-year-old passionate, hardworking, and enthusiastic sophomore student majoring in Bachelor of Arts in Politics and Governance. She has worked as a freelance tour guide, academic content writer as well as a home-based English teacher and is an active volunteer at the "Youth Community" NGO. She enjoys teaching, reading, conducting research, and listening to music. She has conducted content analyses, direct observations, literature reviews, face-to-face surveys, and interviews within the frameworks of various projects.
Nurida G. is 20 years old and comes from Baku. Currently, she is a second year student at university majoring in Computer Science. Her passions include coding, playing tennis and musical instruments, visiting art exhibitions, reading books (philosophy and science fiction in particular), skateboarding, and watching Formula 1.
Sayad A. is an exceptional third-year law student. He is a Young European Ambassador, working tirelessly to spread awareness and educate people about the importance of European values in his home community. Apart from his role as a Young European Ambassador, Sayad is also a dedicated MUNer and a former judoka. These experiences have shaped his character, instilling in him a sense of discipline, perseverance, resilience, and leadership. He has a strong passion for working with youth from rural areas, believing that everyone should have access to opportunities that will help them succeed. Sayad is also interested in diplomacy, international relations, and public policy, and he strives to learn as much as he can about these subjects. He has volunteered with local NGOs, helped organize events and programs, and advocated for the rights of marginalized communities.
Seljan H. is studying journalism. She actively participate in projects on peace-building, gender issues, and works with young people to support her community. She is actively involved in photography and her photo series has been exhibited in countries such as Denmark and Georgia. She loves to help people and enjoys being socially active. She is always ready to help in any way about music, podcasting, and memes.
Sevinj Y. is a student pursuing her Bachelor's degree in Information Technology with expertise in web development, UX UI design, and graphic design. She is currently a junior specialist at Expressbank OJSC. She was chosen to represent her country at the Perspektywy Women in Tech Summit 2022 held in Warsaw, Poland, which inspired her to establish the "IT Woman Club" project, where she successfully organized many seminars, including the "First Steps in IT" training program, which attracted over 400 women. She also has participated in several algorithm-based contests, including the "ICPC Olympics" and "ACM Olympics". Her team qualified for the final round of the "Open Southern Caucasus Championship 2022". She remains committed to making valuable contributions to the IT field and her community.
Milena G. is a third-year student studying Business Administration. Alongside her studies, she works as a Data Analyst and Marketer in the Infant Nutrition Business at Nestle Caucasus. She is passionate about community development, and is involved in several non-formal education projects, including rural tourism development, integration, and youth empowerment programs for ethnic minorities. She speaks several languages which include Georgian, English, Russian, Turkish, and Azerbaijani. She is a Young European Ambassador at EU Neighbors East. As an advocate for European values and sustainable development goals, she strives to promote positive change in her community.
Nino Z. lives in a small city with her mother, 2 younger siblings (a sister and a brother) and a cat. She studies English philology. Outside of university, she reads about history and geography; and likes reading interesting or unusual facts and sharing them to friends or family members. She loves spending time with friends and discussing about different topics such as books, movies or dramas or just sharing opinions and emotions. She loves listening to music.
Sirunik A. is currently studying English Philology. She wants to become a teacher one day because she loves children and sharing her knowledge with people. She is also a dancer in the university dance ensemble and cannot imagine her life without dance. She knows both Armenian and Georgian traditional dances. Besides dancing, she has many hobbies, and usually plays volleyball or basketball and participates in the university sports club. She likes to meditate and enjoys walking with her dog. She is a very outgoing person, and loves to meet new people and looks forward to meeting everyone.
Viktor D. studies Economics. He calls himself a simple person who wants to know it all. He loves reading, drawing, watching vintage runways, and working on voluntary programs. With his radically different interests, he says he usually comes across people absolutely different from each other, which helps him learn more about different communities and their challenges. He is ready to exchange experiences and meet new people.
Alina P. studies Economics and creates a fearless, more secure digital future by working for an international company which specializes in developing systems to protect against computer viruses, spam, hacker attacks and other cyber threats. It’s important for her to make the world safe not only online, but also to change people's lives for the better. The important areas of her volunteer work is in ecology. She has huge plans which include creating strong civic engagement in the field of ecology in her town and at university as people in her hometown are not involved in environmental activities. She is also fond of travelling, learning foreign languages (Spanish and French) and eating sushi :) Being a SUSI on Civic Engagement participant, she wants to remind everyone: “Be the change you wish to see in the world!”
Ekaterina A. (aka Katya). likes to explore the beauty of the surrounding nature by hiking with friends. The sea views are especially breathtaking. During the last 3 years, she has been studying international relations. She likes the ability to discuss, and sometimes even debate, on worldwide topics of modern history. As a student, she has had an opportunity to help people, take part in and organize different volunteer and educational projects, often involved in fundraising. She strongly believes that people should help anyone in need. She looks forward to starting my SUSI experience!
Mariana N. is 21 years old and grew up in a nice small town. She is thankful for her hometown’s amazing people, her mentors at that time. She feels lucky, dare say “privileged,” because of her really high-quality high school education and took part in many federal educational projects. Due to this experience, she wants to be an educator that helps children from rural areas of her country to get access to educational initiatives that can change their lives for the better. She worked as a volunteer in a NGO in her home city, took an internship at a school for gifted children, and developed small educational projects. She is currently a student currently studying pedagogy and foreign languages. She also volunteers regularly at the exchange center.
Milena P. is striving to become a researcher in gender studies and cultural anthropology, while working and volunteering as a teacher of literature and English language. They love hiking and, technically, any other activity you can do in the woods.
Melis E. is 21 years old and is studying econometrics. She is so glad that to be part of this program and have this amazing experience!
Tomris I. D. is a second year Electrical and Electronics Engineering student. She is a self motivated 20 years old who is interested in software, robotics, volunteering and entrepreneurship. She is a board member of the international trade and logistics society of her school, where they organize foreign trade trainings, certified trainings and conferences. Also in her school's robotics society, they produce electric vehicles as a team and participate in international competitions. She loves swimming in her spare time (if you want to find her any time of the day, she is probably at the pool). She also loves traveling and meeting new people and so excited for the project!
Yağız E. P. started his journey in diplomatic debates and became passionate about gender equality as he was raised solely by his mother and grandmother. Then, he started establishing women’s rights forums in order for high school students to discuss such difficulties and notions. He attended many conferences in high school in order to discover his major. He enrolled in the American Studies department, aiming to explore more about the culture and democratic system of the United States. When it comes to his personal interests, he likes to play video games, watch movies(especially the horror genre), and write content.
Zelal D. was born in a stunning city. Growing up in such a beautiful place was a blessing and created precious memories of childhood there. However, she wanted to broaden her horizons. Her passion for psychology drew her to the department. She already enjoys studying psychology as a freshman. She also is an active member of the theater club and worked tirelessly on a production of Lorca's play for a whole year. She loves performing on stage and working with a great group. Aside form theatre, she has always been fascinated by different cultures and had a strong desire to experience them firsthand. She looks forward to be part of the SUSI program and meet everyone in the FIUTS community.