My name is Iryna and I am originally from Ukraine. I always knew that I want to connect my life with traveling and exploring other cultures, mentalities and ways of living. My academic journey began with international relation studies, that I had to quit in the middle due to pandemic crisis which affected the quality of my studies. I decided to continue in the same direction but with a bit different angle – languages. I obtained Bachelor degree in German and English language studies with the focus on translation, and even though my motivation was improving the knowledge of foreign languages rather than linguistics itself, here I got my first international experience and understanding that I want to continue in this direction.
During my studies I did various study visits and exchanges abroad organized by my university with its academic partners. I was also proactively searching for opportunities myself, that is how I found out about different Erasmus+ programs. After completing my Bachelor I went to Slovakia to do the internship, surprisingly ending up in a company from Fortune Global 500 list. It was a very meaningful experience both personally and professionally. After that I joined ESC Volunteering project that brought me to Sweden.
Being surrounded by peers who are interested and passionate about not only participation, but also implementation of non-formal education projects, I got curious about the organizational side of it. I got in touch with both my sending and receiving organization mentors, trying to find more and more information, and was introduced to EYE program.
I am personally convinced that EU funded projects are necessary steps for modern youth on the way to adulthood. It was a lifechanging moment for me. Meaning not only moving around Europe while feeling fully protected and secure, but also very deep personal development and professional opportunities. And I believe its impact will be even more visible in the near future due to AI crisis and lack of entry positions for young professionals.