📚 When I was 14 years old, I spent a year at a European School in Belgium […] For the first time I understood that possibilities exist in the world, which I have never thought of before – not because somebody denied me information, but because I never got to talk to such a diverse group of people. I found that in spite of all the diversity, I could find amazing friends from all over Europe and the world, who felt similarly about the values I held dear at the time and still do – those of peace, common understanding, kindness and respect for all.

🇪🇺 And so I decided to study European Affairs. […] I knew I wanted to help make the world a kinder place and it felt to me that eventually being involved in creation and implementation of its policies could be the way to do this. […] Long story short – I ended up pursuing my MA in Bruges and later working in Brussels, for the Parliament and the Commission. During this time, what I realised is that communication is key to persuading the citizens of the value that the EU brings to them. Even though I now work outside of the EU institutional setup, I still live my mission every day.

💙 I am well aware of both advantages and the shortcomings that the EU as such has. However, I continue to believe in the project for a simple reason: to my knowledge it’s the only political project in the world that puts the values of peace and mutual respect at its very core. […] But Europe is not a revolutionary project. It builds on small, yet concrete actions to create a society we all can prosper in. Every student going on Erasmus exchange, every person deciding to pursue a career in another member state, every traveler crossing the border without a passport (without even realising it) is an important building block of the house of what we call the European Union.

👩‍👧 I also manage a blog EU360 (in Slovenian) where I share opinions on current EU affairs, even if for the past year the blog has been stagnating a bit as I became mum to a wonderful baby girl. During my maternity leave I posted on how the EU makes sure that toys, car seats and food are safe for our babies and why we should care about how the EU would look like in 20 years. I wish my daughter will continue to live in a borderless Europe, full of opportunities, where she can find her calling and follow her dreams, where she won’t be judged by her nationality, gender or ideology. This is the Europe I fell in love with and will continue contributing to.