Coordinating Board and the Team

Vlado joined OCEANS in 2011. He is passionate about promoting professional and community development through training, workshops and exchange of ideas and expertise.

Vlado took part in the EU-Canada exchange programme in conflict studies/ public and international affairs at the University of Ottawa during his master's in international peace studies at Trinity College Dublin. He also studied at Comenius University in Bratislava, pursued doctoral research at Trinity College Dublin and at the University of Cambridge and took part in visiting/ exchange programmes at universities in Tübingen, Erlangen-Nürnberg, Berlin and Göttingen. He worked as a researcher and lecturer at University College Dublin and the University of Groningen. For his European engagement and his research on the EU's approach to peacebuilding within Common Security and Defence Policy, he was awarded the 2018 European Award for Citizenship, Security and Defence - special award for European Security and Defence, and the Medal of the President of the French Republic. Vlado's academic work is enriched by his professional experience with the United Nations, Amnesty International, educational institutions and civil society organisations. As a research associate at the University of Cambridge, Vlado researches and lectures in the fields of politics, international relations, peace and conflict studies, sociology and religious studies.

The members of OCEANS have participated in international study programmes and acquired great academic skills and valuable intercultural competencies. The team aims at promoting professional development of a unique pool of students and graduates. The main activities focus on providing training and development opportunities, supporting job-seekers, networking and fostering entrepreneurial ideas. This working group is dedicated to lifelong learning and is passionate about the implementation of different education & training programs for the network. They will plan different training workshops for OCEANS members in various subject areas and will also work closely with the board and manage OCEANS’ flagship event- Annual General Meeting (AGM).

Alexandra (Alex) has been an active OCEANS member since 2011. She is currently serving as the Deputy Communications Head and has served in past OCEANS roles including North American Coordinator and parts of transition and ESAA+ communications team. She graduated with MAs from West Virginia University and Collegium Civitas in history and international relations. She is currently employed at West Virginia University as an Extension Service Agent where she works with youth education, volunteer management, and community development. She is actively involved with youth global education within her position and is excited to again serve in an OCEANS board role.

Our network is doing great things and providing amazing opportunities, but all of these needs to be communicated internally, to our members, and externally to the outside world. Exchange of information is key to enable our members to access our services, events, and opportunities. Packaging catchy and informative pieces of information on social media and articles to be published online is essential for advancing the prestige of the network and for giving chance to new people to get to know about us and what we do.

Anežka joined OCEANS Network recently but since the time, she understood how valuable this community is for the rest of the world. She is passionate about filmmaking, photography and travelling. She was able to combine these three elements while she was studying abroad in San Francisco, California. She develops her skills not only in OCEANS but also on her independent projects. Anežka currently finishes her studies in Advertising, PR and media in London and she hopes she will be able use her passion and skills to show other students how important and valuable exchanges are. Because yes, they make totally sense!

Digital Development WG will discuss the present and the future of the digital presence of the Oceans Network. You don’t need to be an IT expert to join. OCEANS website, community and all the tools connected to the organization are managed by this WG.

Although Nik was born with a Slovene passport and has spent over three years in Asia, he considers himself a global citizen.

During his BA on Entrepreneurship, Nik went on several bilateral and ERASMUS+ academic exchange programs: he got to explore the active student life at the Kyungpook National University in South Korea and University of Alicante in Spain. Having established his own business in Slovenia, Nik later pursued MSc International business at the Faculty of Economics, University of Ljubljana. In order to get a deeper insight into the international Asian markets, he spent two semester abroad, at the National Chengchi University in Taiwan and at the Xiamen University in China.

Nik has been actively involved in OCEANS Network for five years and is the former representative for the Asia region. As a strong believer in globalization and the importance of student mobility, he has established a partnership with the EU Delegation and organized two ERASMUS+ promotional and capacity building events in Taiwan.

To increase the impact of OCEANS-Network, new needs exist for the network. One important point is the cooperation within ESAA, but also with other Organisations.

Projects will be one of the key activities in the near future.