How did you choose to study at IIRPS VU? What impressed you most about the study process and environment?

I don’t remember the first time I heard the word “politics”. I know that I was little, and at every dinner table, there were at least a couple of very “competent” relatives who were furiously discussing the issues of the year. I was quite a curious child, often trying to do better than my peers, so when I picked up all sorts of terms that were incomprehensible to a small child’s mind, I used them in kindergarten. It doesn’t matter the context or the meaning of the word, what matters is that I know and you don’t know. Growing up, this was the peak of my intellectual capacity. In other words, I spent half of my childhood with red ears because someone kept asking me to expand my genius, but as I said earlier, I had already reached the peak of my potential. I found it unfair that people still dared to ask questions after what I had said, so I decided to search for the truth by following the path my father had already taken, and to go to law school. But in the background of life, that pesky word “politics” kept popping up. Whether it was history lessons, the school senate, the council, extra-curricular activities, everywhere I went, I had to listen to, or get involved in, the process that haunted me everywhere. It is worth mentioning that it was not until my later years at school that I fully grasped the meaning of the word “politics”. It was then that I first began to doubt my career as a prosecutor. During my quarantine, I became very interested in the interwar period and the Second World War, and I think that’s where the turning point came because that’s when I first opened the curriculum of the Institute’s Political Science Programme. In the last year of school, like many other pupils, I had an inner conflict. I tried to convince myself that there was no place for me on the political train. My peers, who had long since joined youth organisations, were going around the Parliament, ministries and municipalities, taking part in debates, and I… I don’t really remember what I was doing. I know that in April I thought that I might like to go abroad to study, but it’s not that there was no room on the train, there wasn’t any train anyway. You could say that I was the protagonist of that saying about trains. Then, every couple of days, I kept opening the VU website and reading the plans for the Global Challenges and Political Science programme. Law had been completely forgotten, and by the time I had decided what I wanted to do, I just had to decide whether to go for the old, time-tested programme or the new, but English programme. I was prioritising LAMA BPO until the very last minute, swapping programmes with each other, but the final number one priority remained PGC. I realise that my generation pioneered the programme and it is very likely that some modifications will be made, but I would not change my choice. Here I have met life companions, maybe even future colleagues, I have met people from other nations and I have seen how colourful and beautiful my environment is. There is a spectrum of people sitting in the audience who are so different, but they are all united by the one, very haunting word: politics.

You are a mentor, how did you decide to become one? What is important when preparing to become a mentor? Why do you think it is worth being a mentor?

I decided to become a mentor on the very first day of integration. Maybe it was the charisma of Antanas that enchanted me, or maybe it was my childhood obsession with greatness, I don’t know the exact answer. I was sure that I wanted to contribute to the integration process and the mentors team seemed playful and charismatic. I had no preparation before becoming a mentor, only, as you can understand, a very strong desire. Of course, I did not want to do it alone, but with my closest friend. It was good that Antanas’s vision coincided with ours. When I became part of the team, I was surprised at first to see how many different people the Integration Coordinator, my mentor Antanas, selected. Some of them I didn’t seem to have much in common with. And as if by accident, the people I thought I had the least in common with became my closest friends. There is no statute or code that spells out the qualities that a mentor must have. Anyone can be a mentor. What matters is the willingness and flexible schedule. Maybe a good sense of humour. But humour comes naturally in a good team. It is important to assess how much time you can devote to this activity, especially in the first months of autumn, when the little kids, who have just left school, have to form a community where they will live for at least four years. The opportunity to see this process up close is the best answer to why it is worth being a mentor.

You are actively involved in building the IIRPS VU community and the integration of first-year students, what were your most memorable moments from this year’s integration process?

I am not shy to speak here not only for myself but also for the whole team. Definitely, the freshmen camp was the most memorable opening ceremony of this meaningful year. It was the first time we met our ‘mentees’, but I would like to mention that for me it also felt like a kind of culmination. The coordinators and mentors had been planning logistics, activities, and performances for a long time, and it was good to see the hard work finally bear its first fruits. I was not at my own freshmen camp, so when I saw all the behind-the-scenes organisation and the “birth” of this event, I not only started to regret not being there, but also to feel a lot of envy. The good mood continued after the camp. The preparations for the procession, the posters, the smiles and the laughter echoed throughout the Institute. Even the bad weather on the day of the procession did not prevent the youngest generation of the Institute from sending out an important message – we all have a vote. And anyway, every evening spent, every conversation during breaks, or even a simple greeting, is in a way a meaningful part of the integration process. A smile and a good mood is the most precious and important rewards. It is like a medal, and this year’s team of mentors has quite a few.

You have been involved in VU SR activities not only as a mentor, but also as a member of several different areas, would you recommend other students to get involved in student organisations? What have you already achieved and what is still to come?

Honestly, even though I have been involved in the areas, I have decided to be more of an observer and let the first-year students take the main roles. Joining the coordinated areas is a great opportunity to get to know the community even better and become an integral part of it. It allows you to come out of your shell, to form connections not only within your own group, but also within the course and with other generations. The last and very nice event organised by VU SR IIRPS – the Christmas evening, I think, left an impression on many members of the community. We realised that we have a lot of very talented people and that IIRPS can be a place not only for politics but also for art, which are very compatible with each other.

What does your day look like after your studies and activities at university? What do you do in your free time?

This year I thought that in my free time I want to stop sitting in bed and do something meaningful. Of course, as a regular student, I’m still working part-time, as usual. More recently, I completed a month-long internship with Andrius Vyšniauskas, a Member of the Parliament of the Republic of Lithuania, and I had the opportunity to observe the processes that take place in the Parliament. I am grateful for that. I also joined the newly established organisation “Medical Help Ukraine” a couple of months ago and with the project “Back to Life” we are helping Ukrainian soldiers who have lost their limbs to turn over a new page. Prostheses, rehabilitation, support. One of the attempts to say “thank you” to the nation thanks to which I can safely and calmly talk about what I do in my free time. Although our organisation is young, we have already managed to get prosthetics for two soldiers and send them safely back to Ukraine. One of them continues to serve at the front. With the help of sponsors, everything is possible. On a lighter note, I am a perfume enthusiast, and I have recently started collecting perfume, but my favourite activity is, I am ashamed to say, getting a good twelve hours of sleep. I will never give up my naps.

What would you like to wish the IIRPS VU community?

Understanding. You can never have too much of it. We have a unique and colourful community, so let’s cherish what we have built.