Team – 30 Years of Transition

Katja Sluga

My name is Katja Sluga! I was born and raised in Slovenia. Being Slavic and Eastern European became especially important since I moved to Canada and decided to embrace my identity. I want to dedicate my career to better integration of Eastern European states and within the framework of EU work toward a more inclusive Europe. I strongly believe in beauty and diversity of Easter European cultures and histories and I am of opinion that more Canadians should know about it. I currently study International Relations and wish to move back to Europe to do my masters in European Affairs. Organizing Eastern European Conference has been a great learning process for me and I am very thankful for friends I have made along the way and amazing mentor we were lucky to have. I really hope the conference will be at least half as interesting for you as it is for me.

Vladimir Chindea

Buna Ziua! My name is Vladimir Chindea, I’m a first-year student in the Faculty of Arts at UBC, and I aspire to double-major in International Relations and in Philosophy. Born in Romania, I grew up in Montreal and completed my high school in Toronto since my parents immigrated to Canada when I was two years old. I’m passionate about filmmaking, but I’d say that, from witnessing first-hand the myriad frustrations that immigrant families experience to seeing how/why many of my 18-year-old Romanian friends also want to leave their country, it is injustices related to global affairs that give me a sense of purpose and daily drive me. This is why travelling with one of my best friends in Central and Eastern Europe, last summer, meant so much to me: not only trying to better understand where the roots of my culture and family come from, but also acknowledging how different the history and experience of communism were for the diverse nations surrounding Romania. With this in mind, the panel that I will moderate adresses the legacies of post-communism. Often struggling to clearly define where I belong, the notions of identity, home, migration, and memory also really obsess me. I guess that questioning place makes me value relationships so much. The friendships with Katja, Maria, and Viktoria that I was fortunate enough to tie while organizing this conference are precious. Indeed, from eating at the Balkan House to laughing at similar humour and sharing our personal stories to one another, the tasks of working/researching on panel topics, engaging with speakers, and seeking financial support from our generous sponsors were very exciting! I hope that you will be able to feel and learn from what we are trying to convey. Noroc!

Maria-Ruxandra Lefter

Buna ziua! My name is Maria-Ruxandra Lefter. I am a third year in the Dual Bachelor’s Degree between UBC and Sciences Po Paris, studying a double-major in International Relations and Political Science. I was born and raised in Montreal, but both my parents are Romanian. I feel both Canadian and Romanian at the same time. I have never questioned my identity, as my parents made it a point for me to go back to Romania every year in order to immerse myself in the culture, the language, the history and the grievances of my people. Back in Montreal, I spoke Romanian at home, grew up around Romanian children and ate delicious cozonac. Therefore, it made me proud of where I came from. I am a strong advocate of what Eastern Europe has to offer to the rest of the world, which means that I strive to educate as many people as possible on the context there. This is what drove me to organize this conference. I felt that UBC students lacked the knowledge on what Eastern Europe really is, and let themselves be taken by stereotypes. I was avid to find other Eastern European students who felt the same way as I did. This is how I found Katja, Viki and Vlad! My role in this conference consists in coming up with panel topics, researching them, reaching out to speakers and moderating panels. My focus is the study of the diaspora and the deconstructing of Eastern European identities. I hope this conference will accomplish what it was set up to do: create interest in Eastern European issues, deconstruct stereotypes, embrace its identities and grievances and celebrate its beauty and individuality…

Lily Alice Malena-Morin

I am from Québec. I spent the last two years living in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and before I left, I realized how little I knew about BiH and Eastern Europe as whole. The adults around me also had a very limited knowledge which was mostly linked to the breaking up of Yugoslavia. I realized that those thoughts were no longer true today, but I still left without knowing much more. My two years in Mostar and the opportunities I’ve had to travel in the region have made me fall in love with Eastern Europe, but also realize how many different things Eastern Europe encompasses. There is so much history, nostalgia, food, so many beautiful languages, and beliefs – rich cultural diversity. Co-organizing the cultural appreciation event that will follow the conference has allowed me to dive back into this wonderful region of the world and be exposed to more of its complexity and beauty.

Viktoria Loncar

My name is Viktoria and I am honored to be running for your next AMS VPF. While continuing to pay off the AMS operational debt, I will prioritize sufficient allocation of funding towards student resources. I will focus on AMS transparency and ensuring the students that support us understand where their money is being spent and what issues the student government is currently facing. I will do this by creating a forum for discussion where the students can also vocalize what their expectations are. This will be supplemental to website changes that will increase functionality – such as updating the employment site and the club list. Lastly, I will replace club paper reimbursement procedures to an alternate, paperless method, which has been attempted a few times before. I will be able to complete all of my goals because I have been wanting to see these changes since I started studying at UBC. I have experience in being the VPF of one of the largest and most driven clubs on campus which has taught me how to how to correct past mistakes and work on continuous improvement, but it is passion and dedication that will make me a successful candidate.

Kamilla Bekbulatova

Passionate about brand management, market analysis and strategy development, I am happy to contribute to the organization of 30 Years of Transition conference! I am in my final year of Bachelor of Commerce, Sauder School of Business with additional education in the field of Psychology. Please visit my LinkedIn for more information on my professional experience and development. Creator of LaKamiChannel.

Dr. Kathrine Bowers, Academic Guidance

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