Next up in our series of getting to know our ESN family - and this time, it's all about Thomas! You might know him from his work behind the scenes, or maybe you've just crossed paths at an event or two. Either way, here's your chance to get to know him a little better.
Tell us a bit about yourself—where are you from, what are you studying, and what year are you in?
Hello Everybody :). I am Thomas, I was born in Wales, but I lived in Türkiye for as long as I can remember. I graduated as an Environmental Engineer in 2024 and I am currently writing my thesis for my masters in the same field.
How did you first hear about the Erasmus Student Network? What made you decide to join?
I had known about ESN for a long time before becoming a member, finding out about it through my family. I occasionally joined some events and had the opportunity to meet the community and partake in events before deciding to join. I decided to join as an ESNer when I had enough free time to contribute to the network.
When did you join, and what was your first impression?
When I joined, I was surprised about all of the other aspects of ESN. I didn't know anything apart from the parties, trips and fun activities. Learning more about the causes and how the network can impact volunteers on a personal level really opened my eyes.
What inspired you to take on a board role? Why did you choose to be the Project Manager?
I decided to take a more active role and join the board in Fall 24’ by joining the BoA as an Auditor for a year. During my mandate we were left without a PM and I was encouraged to create and commit to any initiatives that were thought to support the network. After initiatives that I created earned our section three ESNTürkiye Beyond the Stars awards in NA Aegean. I knew that for my next mandate I would apply as Project Manager.
Can you walk us through your responsibilities as Project Manager?
I would define my responsibilities as, improvement of the network through initiatives aligned with ESNs core values. Whether that be coming up with ideas for SI posts and working with our CM, or creating workshops and collaborating with our EC or finally looking for a way to improve our section and working with our President. Any needs that I can identify within our section, the position has the free range to address it through different methods.
Which event or project are you most proud of? What made it special?
Im most proud of “Leading by Example: the ESN Dokuz Eylul University Sustainability Report” that i created to be a first in the network, being able to tie in my professional knowledge to my volunteering experience was incredibly rewarding and i have constantly been looking for other ways to expand the example.
What do you love most about ESN? Is it the people, the activities, the mission?
I guess more than anything else I just love our section. Something about seeing all of our members joining the events, helping their buddys, and attending the workshops really feels nice. I view ESN as a great way to volunteer, to give your time and effort to create change, being able to create the structure and see our members to also create change is just a beautiful thing.
Has ESN changed you in any way? What have you learned?
Yes, ESN is an environment where you can learn a lot about others and yourself. Definitely patience, you need to be patient when explaining that the Insurance that the incoming student has, will not work with getting a residence permit for the 50th time. Understanding is another thing that the network has taught me, thanks to our incredible local volunteers (from +20 different countries) being able to get to know them as well as the incoming students has let me understand that our opinions and beliefs are created by our communities and even though i might not agree with someone all the time i can respect why they have the view that they do.
What's your most memorable ESN moment?
I don’t think that it's possible to be an active member of this community and have a moment that is most memorable so I'm going to list some of the ones I will never forget.
ESN101, my first big event being able to meet a lot of people from the network was eye opening and I will never forget that it was my first time I understood that ESN was more than my local section.
Grand Cappadocia was the first long trip that I was able to be part of the OC, feeling appreciated for my efforts and being there to help the students was a great experience.
NAAgean, not only being part of the OC but also being able to accept the awards for the projects that I had worked on was a rewarding situation.
Meeting up with one of our old Italian exchange students in Venice then a week later randomly bumping into an old Croatian exchange student in Bologna.
Being able to go on a road trip to the Balkans with our departing Erasmus student, only then to fly out to go see him and stay with him for 5 days a week later.
Eduk8 Starter….Trust the process.
If you could give one piece of advice to students thinking about joining ESN, what would it be?
Just do it, join. be committed to the network, offer your time and knowledge, come open and willing to learn and the network will repay you in more ways than you could ever imagine.
Quick Fire Round
If you had to describe ESN in three words, what would they be? - Change, Effort, Rewarding
One food you could eat every day? - Beyti Sarma ofc
Favourite movie? - Lost in Translation
The best part of my day is… - Morning coffee
That was Thomas, our Project Manager - always looking for ways to improve the section and ready to help wherever it's needed. See you in the next People of ESN.
Follow us