Why did you choose to study at IIRPS VU? What subjects do you like the most in your studies?

While still at school, I didn’t have a clear direction where I wanted to improve my knowledge, so I considered various study programmes. However, I had friends and acquaintances who had studied at the Institute and encouraged me to join this community; also, it was heard as one of the best places in Lithuania to get a broad spectrum of education. Since that was precisely what I wanted, I chose IIRPS, and I have never regretted it once.

As for the subjects taught, each one is really important and interesting in its own way, and the Institute boasts professional teachers and carefully designed programmes. However, I have always had a soft spot for philosophy, so I particularly enjoyed the lectures and seminars on that subject; the history of political thought in Lithuania was also very interesting, and in the last semester, I was studying the issues of Lithuanian and European identity and Transitional Justice. However, I have to admit that I can’t list all the subjects here, but I am very grateful that I had the opportunity to study them – I really felt I learned a lot after each one I finished.

You went to study in Austria; how did you choose this country? What are some of your most memorable moments from studying there?

Austria is where my roots are, so to speak. My parents studied there, my brother was born there, and my mother received her Master’s degree with a seven-month-old belly, which I was in at the time. So when I was growing up in Lithuania, I always remembered Austria as a second home, I used to look at my parents’ photos of their youth in that beautiful country, and I have visited Austria many times because many of my parents study friends live there. On one of these visits to see Vienna, when I was maybe 17, I went to the University of Vienna and told myself that I wanted to come back to study there. I had been thinking about it since the beginning of my studies, so as soon as the opportunity arose, I did not hesitate long and filled in the application form.

However, the pandemic clipped the wings of my exchange opportunities a little, as after a few weeks of study in Austria, a quarantine was declared, so I studied remotely almost all the time. Still, I had some travelling to do, some mountains to see, some palaces to see, and the most beautiful libraries in Vienna to study in. Living and studying abroad was not just about studying. I think the beauty of the Erasmus+ experience is that you get a taste of what it’s like to live in a city where you don’t know the language or the streets, but little by little, you get used to a new reality, you make friends from different parts of the world, and you’re amazed at how much you have in common. It’s a really nurturing experience.

How did you decide to join the St. Thomas More Club?

When I came to university, I knew that I wanted to join a student organisation. During the presentations of the organisations, it was this Club that attracted me because of the warmth of the people in it and the values that the Club promotes. In addition, the Club is intertwined with the Atheist organisation, which I have been involved in many times, so I did not feel like a stranger there, and when I came, I discovered that the people there share Christian values, but at the same time, they are not limited to their own circle but focus on where it is important for us as future political scientists to be and to make our voice felt. I think that the strength and uniqueness of this organisation lie in its ability to embrace and nurture both the academic and the spiritual aspects. And for a student who is laying the foundations for his or her life, this is very important. The first event I attended was, I think, a seminar with Alvydas Jokubaitis, who is the Club’s academic mentor. This was followed by a dinner. When I got to know the activities and those who run them, I decided to stay and join the Club because I saw that it was very meaningful.

What are your main goals and plans for the presidency of the St. Thomas More Club this year?

It is important to me that there is a process both inside and outside the organisation. Every year we welcome with open arms new members who can continue the Club’s activities through a natural rotation, so one of the goals would be to attract new members. Inside the Club, we meet as students who share not only friendship but also common interests, discussing, reading and analysing texts, and travelling together. I would like to continue and foster this so that the Club is not just a student organisation but a strong circle of educated people who share Christian values and who can pass on their experiences to younger generations after they have finished their studies.

Well, and with an outward focus, we try to organise open discussions or lectures each year on contemporary issues and contribute to university events. One of the goals would also be to collaborate with other organisations in the Institute and come up with activities together, thus not competing with each other but bringing in new faces and enriching each other.

What would you like to wish the IIRPS VU community?

One of the greatest strengths of IIRSP VU is its people. Being in this environment, you are surrounded by very intelligent and educated people, which is what helps you to develop as a person. I wish IIIRPS not to lose that – to focus on personalities, to create a warm environment, to show by example how important it is to learn and to strive for the sake of both the world and one’s country. This applies to everyone in the Institute – the teachers, the administration and every student. It is important to remember that everyone here can grow into something very important, and IIRPS has also earned its status thanks to all the people here, not just one.