At the Agora in Enschede three candidates compete for the task of Secretary General. In alphabetical order: Elena Antova, Lucille Rieux and Seren Güneş. The Golden Times asked all of them for an interview. Read today what motivates Seren Güneş from AEGEE-Ankara to candidate. “It was really upsetting for me not see any candidates for the Secretary General position”, Seren says. So she decided to candidate herself.
Golden Times: Seren, you candidate for Secretary General. Why would you like to do this task?
Seren Güneş: I consider the work in AEGEE like a harmonic cristal – like on the photo on the right – and I see the secretary as the responsible for the harmony of this work.
Golden Times: Why did you decide to candidate now, quite some time after the original deadline?
Seren: It was really upsetting for me not see any candidates for the Secretary General position and so I decided to see if there would be any candidates. The appearance of new candidates couldn’t convince me not to candidate.
Golden Times: Alfredo said that he wants to give the Secretary General task more importance. How much are you secretary and how much general?
Seren: I can say 40 percent secretary and 60 general to balance the requests and tasks.
Golden Times: What is the favourite task of all things you do as Secretary General?
Seren: Team management, because the CD is there to be the soul and body to lead AEGEE into better conditions. I cannot think of any team with internal problems which would bring AEGEE to a better position.
Golden Times: How and when did you actually join AEGEE?
Seren: 15th of October 2008 is my official registration date to AEGEE-Ankara, but I was already active from the beginning of September 2008.
Golden Times: You did a lot of things in AEGEE already, you were actually also Secretary before. Which of your tasks in AEGEE so far are most important to you?
Seren: Keeping the motivation up and keeping the line between professional tasks and private life are the most important tasks for me – not only individually but also for the quality of the team work. We are all human; it is natural that we have problems. However, it is good to solve them in order to not to make things more complicated.
Golden Times: Which were your best moments so far in AEGEE?
Seren: My best moment was when I went to my Erasmus city, Lüneburg, and found a member of AEGEE-Alicante, Isabel Sodric, in the welcome team. Coming to a very little city without AEGEE local and finding the greatest welcome ever, thanks to AEGEE.
Golden Times: And which were your worst moments?
Seren: The worst moments were when I started to work full time, because it diminished my contribution to AEGEE a lot. My favorite activity in AEGEE-Ankara is to join the famous “Monday Meetings”, which renew the participants for sure. Unfortunately, because of my working times I couldn’t join recently. Neither couldn’t I come to Agora Skopje nor to EBM İzmir, despite the fact that İzmir is my hometown! All because of my working times.
Golden Times: Which was your favourite event?
Seren (smiles): My favorite event was the ES1 Cosenza in 2009. In AEGEE, it is very possible to mention about three types of members; idealists, career-seekers and party-animals. It was an event which functioned as a melting pot for all three kinds and improved my skills a lot and widened my vision of AEGEE greatly. Time to time, I still check the AEGEE path that we did on the very last day of the event and see what I have achieved on my way to become a Les Anciens member one day.
Golden Times: Please complete this sentence: “AEGEE is for me…”
Seren: AEGEE is for me a place to learn about mostly yourself and what you can contribute to a better world. Whenever I think of AEGEE, Gandhi’s famous saying comes to my mind: “Be the chance you want to see in the world.” Yes, I can start changing in AEGEE, although many haven’t given the importance that it deserves nowadays.
Golden Times: What hobbies do you have?
Seren: Swimming, walking, board games and when I have time wood and glass painting.
Golden Times: What’s your dream job after finishing AEGEE?
Seren: Being an academician.
Golden Times: What’s never missing in your fridge?
Seren: Yogurt.
Golden Times: How would you describe yourself in five keywords?
Seren: Smiling, stubborn, realistic, promising and direct – very-much!
Golden Times: Anything you’d like to add? What should people know about you?
Seren: It is hard for me lose my motivation for AEGEE. I feel I owe too much for what AEGEE has been giving to me since I joined the family. Thank you for all of you, who felt AEGEEan in some point in their lives and contributed to its greatness.
