Can you please introduce yourself (who are you, where are you from, what do you study)?

Hello, my name is Timotej, I’m 22 years old and I was born and raised in a town called Poprad. I’m currently studying International Relations & Diplomacy at Matej Bel University in Banská Bystrica. I’m very creative person, so being a Communication Manager just makes my personality grow. I would never change it.

How long have you been a member of ESN and what were your roles before becoming a member of national board?

I decided to join ESN in May 2015 after my friend, that has been in ESN for a while, introduced me to the world that was full of positive, unique people and atmosphere that I immediately fell in love with. I know it sounds like a cliché, but being part of something special made me (and still makes me) feel special. From the beginning, I was just a regular ESN member, but after 2 months our section president at that time decided that I’m going to be Communication Manager and then soon I became one. But I’m glad she did, making all these PR related things makes me very happy, even though it’s really time-consuming.

What is your position in NB and how long have you been doing it?

Well, it all started during the crisis of ESN Slovakia when we had only two members in National Board at that time. I remember I was in Ústí nad Labem for a PR Meet Your Colleague Meeting and people (not only Slovaks) started encouraging me to run for National Communication Manager after they saw all my work. I thought they were kidding at first, but after receiving those nominations I realized people are satisfied with my work and I also realized that I really want to help ESN Slovakia, so I made my decision and announced my candidacy for National Communication Manager. I was elected by National Platform in December 2016 in Bratislava and since January 2017 I’m part of National Board as Communication Manager until the end of my mandate in May.

Can you describe a typical day of CM of ESN SK?

That’s a funny question, I don’t think there’s such thing as “typical day” for Communication Manager to be honest because my work depends on how people are reacting to things our organisation is doing. Sometimes it’s a rough or busy day, sometimes it’s a “not that rough” day. However, I do some daily rituals like checking social media and emails, preparing some new content, communicating with sections, national and international board. But thank God I have an amazing team of Communicative Chamois (PR working group) that also helps me a lot, because of them I can have also a social life. Well, kind of.

What was your most valuable experience connected to being in NB so far?

I think there’s no secret that being part of National Board also comes with an influence that you have on people. It’s satisfying and gives you feeling that you’re helpful, when you help others by giving them best practices or knowledge transfer or telling them what they should or shouldn’t do. You know you did your job well when you see them becoming better and better. And I want to also say that I’m grateful that I am in National Board that I am, because we make a great team and our work is visible and ESN Slovakia is satisfied.

What were the most challenging tasks that you had to deal with?

I would say that the most challenging task for me and my team was to repair the image of ESN Slovakia after the invisibility and some things that poisoned our organisation in the past. When I was attending international events, people had mixed feelings about ESN Slovakia, but after talking to them and ensuring them that ESN Slovakia is doing great now, they were very happy for our country and satisfied with our new image. Even International Board is happy for us and wishing us all the best.

What is your biggest goal that you want to accomplish before the end of your mandate?

The goal is very simple. I want ESN Slovakia to be even more visible, both inside and outside of this country. And I want every section in Slovakia to be well educated in terms of things related to PR, because I see some of them are still having many problems, but we’re fixing them, slowly, but effectively.

Have you attended any international events? If so, which ones and what was the best about them?

I already attended few of them, but I want to emphasise the 4th Communication Summit in Brussels that I attended last month. It was a wonderful experience for me, I’ve learned a lot of new things that I’m now trying to apply in ESN Slovakia. But most importantly, I finally had the chance to meet people that understand me and my work. Don’t get me wrong, you’re all my friends and we have a lot of mutual interests, but not on that level. I made a lot of new friendships that I’m so grateful for. It was an enriching experience and I would recommend everyone to go there, it’s a lifetime experience that you won’t regret.

What is your message for people who can’t decide whether to join NB of ESN or not?

Don’t be scared, it’s nothing like you think it is. Yes, it’s a lot of work and sometimes you will feel like you have no social life, but if you surround yourself with amazing people that will help you, there’s no such thing you cannot do or achieve. Being part of National Board offers you a lot of experience that you can use not only in ESN, but in your personal life as well.