Hello EMAlum, welcome to the EMAgora!
Dear EMAlumni Friends,
I am applying to be one of the board members, shape the EMAlumni community and foster connections to benefit us all.
But first, maybe a little bit about myself.
Hi, my name is Chiara, I am from Germany and I use she/her pronouns. After spending my second semester in Bilbao and writing my thesis on stateless children in Germany, I graduated EMA in 2024. I am passionate about all things children’s rights, participation, migration and political education. I am a big advocator for open and transparent communication, I love making (and ticking of) todo lists, and improving structures for efficiency.
During EMA I was student representative and enjoyed questioning structures and shaping the system. Together with my fellow student reps, I incentivized and strongly impacted the remodeling of the curriculum, participated in online open days, and addressed the GC staff on pressing issues. I would love to continue the work of shaping the EMA-experience and questioning the status quo as an alumna.
In Germany, I have been the leader of the UNICEF-Students Group in Mainz, established a weekly exchange ‘let’s talk about inequalities’ at my internship in the field of development cooperation, and was the project coordinator for international volunteers in Bochum. For 8+ years, I have been the leader of a youth group in Germany, creating inclusive, low threshold activities and summer camps for more than 65 children and teenagers. You might wonder what this all has to do with the EMAlumni board, but this has given me lots of experience in decision making, holistic, inclusive approaches and navigating organization’s structures. Most importantly, I know the struggles of finding and motivating volunteers as well as creating sustainable engagement.
When thinking about the EMAlumni Association, I think of connections and the power of community. To further strengthen this, I would like to support and specifically focus on four areas:
- ENGAGEMENT: Increase the presence of the EMAlumni Association in students’ minds and foster engagement with new or soon-to-be graduates to increase recruitment of members. Ensure students sign up to the newsletter before graduation, to stay in the loop and be updated on the opportunities and achievements of the association.
- PAST&PRESENT: Connect EMAlumni community with current student reps to ensure current and relevant topics are addressed, potentially in collaboration with the student cohort.
- JOBS: Reorganize and promote the job-board, find new ways for people in similar fields to share job opportunities and benefit from each others’ connections and experiences.
- INCLUSIVITY: Find out in which areas the association lacks accessibility and which barriers can be removed to enable all alumni to participate, if they want to.
I strongly believe in the importance and power of community and would be so happy to be part of the EMAlumni board and receive your vote.
If you have any question or doubts regarding my candidacy, please reach out to me on https://linkedin.com/in/chiara-mongiello or text me at +4916092309365.
See you at the next meeting,
Chiara
EMA Class of 2024
