Today the new CD is taking over. Among all the new faces there is one CD member who continues her task: Monika Mojak was chosen as Interim Secretary General till Agora Salerno, because at Agora Bucharest there was no candidate for this task. The Golden Times asked Mojak about her motivation to continue and the handover period of the two boards.
Golden Times: Monika, why did you apply for Interim Secretary? Did you enjoy the work so much or was it a call of duty?
Monika Mojak: Life is full of surprises. You never know what may happened, which decision you will take in the end and where it may lead you. I didn’t expect I would continue for the second term, but I really enjoyed working on my portfolio last year and when the opportunity arose to still contribute to AEGEE and help CD57 during their new journey, I was happy to join the team and I am looking forward to the next months working with them.
GT: So what did you do while all the other CD members had their knowledge transfer?
Monika (smiles): Even though I didn’t join the knowledge transfer, as I already had one last year, there is no time to be bored in the headoffice! I was responsible for the coordination of the knowledge transfer, making sure that everything was going smoothly and according to the agenda as well as giving some sessions to CD57. The idea of the knowledge transfer is that the outgoing CD is preparing and delivering most of the sessions to the incoming CD, so everyone in the team is responsible for the sessions connected with their portfolio, fields of interest and their experience. Besides there are a lot of pending tasks that we had to finish until our term ended, last decisions to take and ensure that everything is well prepared for the new team to take AEGEE’s helm for the next 12 months.
GT: How is the mood in the house now? Some people were coming, other are leaving…
Monika: The atmosphere in the house is really good. The last weeks of July, when the two teams meet for the transition period, is very special. The house is full of people, good energy and much AEGEE spirit. We have the chance to get to know each other better, live together for a while and just experience some unforgettable moments we can keep as memories for the future. Of course, these days are very intense, everyone is working hard, but we are trying to enjoy the time we got. On the other hand, you can feel nostalgy in the air. The outgoing CD members are wrapping their life in Brussels, realizing that this intense and crazy year is almost over, so it’s time to move on and leave space to the new generation. But at the same time seeing this lovely bunch of amazing people, who are ready to start their term, full of ideas, motivation and excitement about what is coming, gives us a lot of positive feelings.
GT: In July you also had the summer reception of the CD. How many guests were there?
Monika: Our annual transition cocktail gathered almost 100 guests, among which we had the pleasure to welcome our fellow AEGEEans, alumni, representatives of partner organizations and European institutions as well as our friends. It was definitely an evening to remember.
GT: Wasn’t it very hot?
Monika: The day was extremely hot, with the temperature reaching almost 40 degrees, but as the house and the garden are quite cool, so everyone was enjoying the moment with a glass of wine, Belgian beer and good food catching up with acquaintances, making new friends and discussing the future of AEGEE and Europe in general.
GT: What was the programme of the reception?
Monika: The reception started with the official part, where CD56 presented the most memorable moments from the passing term, our achievements and highlights, seizing the opportunity to thank for the one-year journey in AEGEE-Europe headoffice and saying goodbye to everyone, followed up by the first official introduction of CD57 and presentation of plans and goals for the upcoming year.
GT: Do you have any memorable speeches or quotes from the reception?
Monika: It’s impossible to list all memorable words spoken there, they all were very special and valuable for us, but probably the most emotional was the opening speech of our outgoing president Evrim, which was very personal and touching, especially for CD 56. After the presentation there was time for the house tour, drinks, networking and the good time in the best company of all friends of AEGEE.
GT: Are you sure you will quit the CD at Agora Salerno?
Monika (smiles): …
