Graduate | CROATIA

Student | GERMANY

Student | CROATIA

I am finishing my master’s thesis at the Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Technology, University of Zagreb. In the last few years, I’ve worked as a teaching assistant at Dept. for Measurements and Process Control, as an intern in laboratories, in the metal and wood industries as a CNC programmer/operator and assisted in designing projects, reducing costs and energy consumption in industrial processes. I’ve studied Mechanical Engineering at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture, at the University of Zagreb and Electrical Engineering at the Faculty of Engineering RITEH, University of Rijeka although I didn’t get a degree, I’ve learned a lot about mechanical/electrical systems. My strengths are sustainability, technology, and a strong attitude towards innovation and thinking outside the box.

Young Expert | BULGARIA

Graduate | BULGARIA

My name is Iva Dimitrova and I live in Sofia, Bulgaria. My academic background is in the field of economics. My interest in the environment and climate change has been raised in the last few years. I have been a volunteer for many environmental organizations in Bulgaria and last year I had the chance to join Za Zemiata – Friends of the Earth Bulgaria as a team member. There, I am bringing in my expertise in economics and work on strengthening campaigns by adding numbers and graphs showing that operating sustainably has not only environmental but also social and financial benefits.

Graduate | GERMANY

My name is Renée; I am 25 from Berlin, Germany. I just obtained my MSc in Conflict and Development at the University of Ghent and am still enrolled in the North American Studies Master at the Free University Berlin. My specializations are US foreign policy, cultural diplomacy, postcolonialism, and sustainable development. I have lived abroad several times in the US, Hong Kong, Luxembourg, and currently, France. Professional opportunities I am proud of include my internships at the Foreign Ministry, US Embassy Berlin, and the Bundestag, where I mostly worked on cultural diplomacy and event management. I am passionate about travelling and Harry Potter, but I also enjoy reading, playing board games, and true crime.

Pupil | BULGARIA

My name is Mihaela Hristova and I am a high school student at Profiled Language School where I study Spanish, English and history. I like to take part in the organization of different events and contribute to my local community by changing things I believe are important. I participate in a UN club, where we have discussed the topic of green literacy, which has become important to me. As travelling is one of my favourite things to do, I always try to do it eco-friendly and reduce my carbon print while enjoying nature and interesting places. Having a dog also taught me the importance of a clean environment, where I don‘t have to worry whether it is going to eat garbage on the street. I believe that during this project we can share good ideas, knowledge and experience in the field of green literacy and can‘t wait to see you all.

Pupil | BULGARIA

I’m a last-year student at the Vocational School of Engineering and Electrical Engineering. I am studying Computer technology and technology with advanced study of English. Next year, if everything goes according to plan, I’ll start my college years as a Geography teacher. For several years, I want to be that, model figure, to try to teach the new generations things, but in a different way. For the last 5 or 6 years, climate change, the dying Earth, Plants, and everything connected somehow to Ecology were some of the topics I talked about most.
Nature is my second home. I love walking in the quiet, virgin nature. My friends know that I have weekly walks in the forest near the city, so I just shut my mind off and make time for Myself. Another thing that I am obsessed with, is books. I don’t find anything cosier than a book, a cup of coffee, and some free time. And if it’s raining at this time… don’t even try to disturb me!
With my school, I have been in a few places where I gained some experience about a thing or two. I am the Deputy Speaker in our School Parliament and in the last few years we’ve been at police stations, the court, the fire department, regional administration, and the army, we have certificates from The European Parliament, and I am being part of Big Brother, Big Sister’s projects. And yes, I can’t say that I know how to stop fire or rule part of the regional administration, but I know what they do, from their point of view, which is different from the “normal” citizen.

Activist | SWEDEN

Wanyi Ji recently graduated from the master programme in Environmental Studies and Sustainability Science at Lund University, Sweden. She has worked with environmental NGOs including WWF on building capacities for sustainable cities and renewable business. She is currently an active member of Fältbiologerna, the largest environmental youth organization in Sweden. Wanyi has devoted herself to environmentalism and activism since college. She strives to understand the role of art and climate activism in advocating for regenerative cultural transformation. She is engaged with communities and activist networks to support grassroots efforts for forest conservation and indigenous rights. She is also an alumna of the Creative Climate Leadership Program.

Website: https://jeewanyiji.wixsite.com/wanyi-ji

Student | GERMANY

I am Simon Kaack, currently a master’s student in Human Rights Studies at Lund University. At the same time, I am working as a student assistant at GIGA in the CLICCS project, which focuses on interdisciplinary perspectives on climate policy. I am also doing an internship at the Transport division of UN ESCAP, which works on sustainable transport solutions for the entire Asia-Pacific region. I am particularly interested in the social dimension of climate mitigation, considering special vulnerabilities, e.g., gender or social class.  Furthermore, I strive to adopt a perspective that prioritises the voices of the global South and enters into dialogue with European decision-makers. This also includes voices of the youth, which is why I am working in the ASEAN Youth Organisation for greater youth participation in Southeast Asia and globally.

Student | LITHUANIA

I am Milda from Lithuania. I acquired a college degree in Fashion Marketing and Communication in Barcelona, Spain. After coming back to Lithuania, I decided to gain a better insight into creative processes. Therefore, I am currently in the final year of my Bachelor’s in Creative Industries at Vilnius Tech. During my Undergraduate studies, I did an international exchange program in Graphic Design and Journalism in Antwerp, Belgium.
I am mostly involved in various art projects either as a dancer or as a coordinator. My expertise includes dance, communication, management, and graphic design fields.

Website: https://62947bcf0d764.site123.me/

Junior Biotechnologist | LITHUANIA

Graduate | GERMANY

Graduate | CROATIA

My name is Martina Krois. I am 24 years old. I was born and currently living in Zagreb, Croatia. I graduated from the Faculty of Agriculture in 2021 in Plant Protection. My interests are climate change, biodiversity conservation and genetics.

Student | GERMANY

Student | LITHUANIA

My name is Erikas, 4th year BA Fashion design student at Vilnius art academy, and also a volunteer at an NGO Generation Climate Europe.
In the past few years, I’ve led educational workshops on textiles and consumption and worked on artistic projects related to that. Being an artistic collaborator creating artworks from worn jeans at Denim Diaries has probably been the most interesting activity so far. Studying fashion design has pushed me to question consumption, and textile problems and think of a more sustainable, circular world. One of the main points of my work is to combine my academic knowledge of environmental issues with artistic skills in fashion, painting and performance, and apply all of that for social and environmental change.

Trainee | FRANCE

My journey found its origin in my interest and curiosity about the world. This led me to study History and Political Science, in France, Sweden and Belgium. After a brief stint among the green group of the Belgian Federal Parliament, I spent most of my Covid time working as a history teacher in a disadvantaged school.
Fascinating experience, it was however not meant to be my career job. I decided to go back to study and got enrolled in a program co-financed by the European Council. Taught in Rome, Berlin and finally Nice, this program carried the name “EU Trade and Climate Diplomacy”, and was mostly taught by members of European Institutions, which gave me a good understanding of the dynamic at stake within the EU, and how policymakers anticipated those climate-related challenges, and in which framework.
In parallel, I assumed the position of Ambassador of the Eurocean’s Youth Network, launched last year by the Surfrider Foundation Europe.
I started working now as a trainee for the EEAS, among the European delegation in Burundi. My fields of interest are energy, water management and ocean protection. I already bring expertise and knowledge on those topics, but I am willing to learn more.

Consultant | SPAIN

My name is Helena, I am 22 years old and I come from Barcelona, Spain. I have studied management and this year I will continue my studies with a post degree in international studies and cooperation. I really enjoy youth volunteering and I have been part of international youth organisations such as AIESEC, Oikos and youth regional councils, and I have also volunteered in various local initiatives. I have as well participated in social consultant initiatives for different NGOs and right now I work as a consultant for the OECD. I am a very dynamic person and I like to start new projects and initiatives which have a positive social impact. I am a nature-lover and I love hiking and spending time outdoors in natural landscapes. My favourite sports are running, yoga and surfing. Moreover, I also love music and I have been playing the traverse flute for many years with other friends. I very much enjoy travelling and learning about cultures from many places around the world and I have lived in four different countries. I also enjoy journalist photography, and last summer I participated in a youth photography project for sustainable tourism in Lesbos, Greece. I believe that climate change is one of the biggest problems that we have currently and us, as the youth generation, should stand for our rights in front of governments as well as take individual and collective action.

Website: https://www.theglobaldeal.com

Graduate | LITHUANIA

Hey! My name is Ieva Motiejunaite.  I am from Lithuania. I got my bachelor’s degree in Lithuania with a program in Applied Chemistry. Later on, I had an opportunity to take an internship at the Marine & Environmental research lab in Cyprus, as well as, in Spain and Portugal. Therefore, I am currently working in the sustainability field and my day-to-day is keeping up with new strategies for businesses to become more sustainable.
Besides my current job, I am interested in outdoor sports such as hiking or bouldering.

Consultant | POLAND

Activist | ITALY

I’m Denise, a 20 years old girl from Italy. I’m just back from a year in Sweden, where I was an au pair, and I will start university soon.
I’m also a climate justice activist, mostly with Fridays for Future; this for me has a double meaning. First the necessity of being surrounded by a community that cares a lot about the environment and hears the climate clock ticking. Second, and more importantly, the need to contrast my privilege of being born in the global north and living a life way distant from people who live in the most affected areas by the climate crisis.
My aim is to make people aware of climate change, and how serious it is and care about it. I’m sure this project will help me a lot and give me good tools.
Change comes from the people and we all need to be on the same page.

PhD Student | CROATIA

I am Sara Šariri, a PhD student in biology working as a research assistant at the Ruđer Bošković Institute(Zagreb, Croatia) in the Laboratory for Biological Effects of Metals. My research is concerned with finding new indicators for early detection of exposure and effects of pollution of water bodies by metals and more recently by microplastics. I graduated with an MSc in Environmental Science in 2021. During my studies, I participated in the Sustainable Development Section of the Association of Biology Students, volunteered in Croatian nature parks, and completed three internships, including a lab job in Lisbon at the Centre for Marine and Environmental Sciences. With my work, I want to contribute to finding solutions to global environmental problems and protecting aquatic ecosystems.

Website: https://www.irb.hr/eng/Divisions/Division-for-Marine-and-Environmental-Research/Laboratory-for-Biological-Effects-of-Metals

Student | GERMANY

Student | BULGARIA

My name is Vyara Stancheva. I was born on May 17. 2003, in Varna, Bulgaria. I just received my high school diploma from First language school, where my majors were languages, more specifically English and German. Currently, I’m starting my bachelor’s degree in archaeology at Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”. As one might have guessed my main topics of interest are history and archaeology, but I’m also very passionate about art and literature. Although it might be surprising to some people, all these humanitarian subjects are closely intertwined with the preservation of our environment, which is why I decided to apply for this project.
In terms of participation in such projects, sadly I’ve only been able to take part in small-scale ones, but it’s finally time to change that.

Pupil | BULGARIA

My name is Paula Staneva. I am 18 years old, from Bulgaria. I am in the final year of studying Architecture and Construction graduating with a third degree, medium-special Education at Vocational High School of Architecture, Construction and Geodesy – “Architect Kamen Petkov” in Plovdiv. This year I am preparing for the UACEG in Sofia for an Аrchitecture major. My main interests are energy efficiency, technology, urban planning, the architecture of Modernism and cinematography.  In my spare time, being part of “Big Brothers Big Sisters of Bulgaria’’ Association, I volunteer in Plovdiv’s social homes for children deprived of parental care. Also, I go to nature, that’s what really heals me. Often, I spend hours painting and sometimes go camping. I was raised to live as a creator, not as a consumer. I am interested in creating an urban project that integrates people into nature and contributes to harmony in scenery connected to our modern needs and lifestyle.

Graduate | BULGARIA

My name is Stilian Stefanov and I am a member of the Bulgarian team taking part in the Young Climate Professionals program.
I am a graduate of European Studies from Maastricht University, Netherlands and an exchange student from Charles University, Czech Republic. I have taken part in more than 30 international projects on a vast range of topics within the frameworks of a few EU-wide programs. I am particularly interested in history, geography, culture, politics, environmental problems and preservation.
The Young Climate Professionals project is an outstanding opportunity to discover more about the pressing problems of the environment in light of the EU’s current political commitments and ambitions. I believe that the exchange of knowledge and ideas with young people from all over Europe will have a conducive impact on both participants and their communities.

Young Professional | ITALY

I am Cina Tanzarella, originally from Southern Italy, currently living in Portugal after graduating with my Master’s degree in Environmental Studies and Sustainability Science at the University of Lund, Sweden. Currently, I am working as Agroforestry Pilot Partner for a company that supports farmers in their transition to more sustainable practices.
During these last years, I have dug deep into the topics of Sustainability and Climate Change, under both their physical and socio-political aspects, with my specific focus being Regenerative Agriculture. My interdisciplinary background and frequent travelling have given me a particular disposition to think holistically and see things from various perspectives. In particular, I am interested in investigating the connections and leverage points between social and environmental regeneration.

Student | BULGARIA

My name is Bilyana Valkova. I am 22 years old, from Bulgaria. I am in the final year of my Bachelor’s degree in International Relations at Sofia University. I have diverse interests in fields in close relation to my degree such as History and Politics, and in more ecological spheres such as the contemporary problems of Sustainability and Overconsumption that we face as a society. I’d be heavily interested to develop a project in this realm of green studies.

Student | GERMANY

I am Lina, a 24-year-old Master’s student in Public Policy and Social Change at the University of Tübingen, Germany. I am currently spending one exchange year at SciencesPo Paris studying International Relations with a focus on Environmental Policy. In my studies, I focus on the intersection of climate and development and am particularly interested in questions of climate justice, global health, and how we bridge the understanding between natural and social science to fight climate change. This semester I put a special focus on Science and Technology Studies and Political Ecology. My best past internship experience was with an NGO in the field of development cooperation for which I am still active as a volunteer.

Young Professional | GERMANY

After my high school graduation in 2020, I went to Bulgaria for one year with the help of the German UNESCO Commission. There I did an internship at a language school and assisted the teachers as a volunteer in teaching German. In Bulgaria, I experienced a part of the EU, which for me was yet unknown. I learned about new political views, new ways of living and new perspectives. I also managed to learn the language as well and am in frequent exchange with people I met there ever since – I fell in love with the people and the mentality.
After that one year in Bulgaria, I spent another year of academic orientation at Leibniz Kolleg, which is part of the University of Tuebingen. The Leibniz Kolleg gives space for young adults and one of its main goals is to broaden their general education. I had a detailed introduction in the subjects of literature, philosophy, Russian language and computer science.
The second aim of Leibniz Kolleg is to experience a democratic lifestyle. How does that work? Imagine a house which holds place for fifty students. Everyone living in that house shares a common space like a kitchen and bathroom. Because of this and because of living closely together, we had to figure out a way to satisfy the needs of everyone. To achieve this, many discussions were held, and many compromises were made, but still, some needs couldn’t be satisfied. That’s how, as I would describe it, democracy is tried out.
I was taught a lot of things and am very optimistic about my future. Because I find not only computer science but also foreign languages like Russian really interesting, I decided to start my Bachelor’s degree in Computational Linguistics at the University of Tuebingen this year. My aim is to have enough knowledge in computer science to be able to tackle some of the most urgent challenges like social and democratic issues as well as climate change.