Today we’re wrapping up with our CODE Community Empowerment Team. This team works very hard to ensure our CODE Community is connected and able to enjoy not only an academic CODE experience – but one that develops us personally, too.  Hana Grgic, our Community Event Manager, share the 2021 WRAP-UP for the team.

It was the first more giant in-person get-together since winter 2019. The music was loud; people were dancing. Jonathan approaches me and tells me: we should organize a first CODE Olympiad for the upcoming Community Day (aka CODE’s birthday); promise me we won’t forget about it. I said yes. We had a first CODE Olympiad within a month, a massive logistic and organizational beast (like the real Olympiad). Still, when we went home that night with scratched throats from screaming and rooting, I think I’m not the only one saying: we were happy.

The Community Empowerment team was bringing together various operations at CODE: it was about campus, it was about admissions, it was about events, it was about communication, it was about student life in general, and Jonathan Rüth  working with us side by side.

Our biggest challenge this year/semester…

Erm, probably still pandemic. We were juggling between online, onsite, and hybrid student life, trying to satisfy so many sides simultaneously. On the one hand, it was great to have the community back on campus, but we were sad knowing that there were still members of the community that couldn’t be with us. Having a hybrid setup, it’s not an easy one, but hey, we’re still learning and doing our best.

Our greatest success…

It’s always a memorable experience to welcome the new generation in the fall semester. And while we were still running the academic aspect in an online-first setup, we did use that brief period of an optimistic time in September and October. We managed to meet the community in person. It was great to see again all five generations mingling together, and although we knew this wouldn’t last forever, it was nice, at least for a while.

Proud of ourselves because…

Tamas Fulop and Wanda Dominguez held the campus polished and organized, always ready for way too many last-minute improvements. Also, there is a lot of work in the background that is hard to see, but it’s still there, and we value you for that, Tamas and Wanda!

Marleen von der Heiden, the Admission Queen, managed to bring in 97 #high5 students. While the whole bunch of Admissions Days might be the most visible part of her role, she’s also responsible for significant updates and changes that would make our admission process much better for both sides.

Elena Stupnikova was continuously working on Mentoring topic, tacking the old system, introducing changes, and improving the mentoring experience for both mentors and mentees.

ReBecca Compton was busy writing monthly Community Newsletters, ensuring no topic stayed unreported. Conducting interviews and writing reports showed us once again how many happenings and project successes can fit into one month!

Adelina Pohlers  returned from maternity leave and brought a lot of structure and focus into the team. She continued to work on International Office topics, organized workshops, and improved student life experience at CODE.

Jonathan Rüth – our team leader. While brainstorming new (crazy) ideas, he’s always ready for a chat or a new round of kicker. Among many other essential things, he’s responsible for the best CODE community meme of 2021 (hint: Strafbier). He didn’t have an easy task in the past months. His position required him to keep the community updated and safe. It was crucial to stay focused and dedicated in the pandemic time.

Ah yes, and me (Hana Grgic), I’m proud of everything we did together, we cooked, we made decorations, we danced. I’m grateful for each student or a team member that joined me on various occasions and more hopeful for the next year, where I hope to see every individual from the CODE community safe and healthy in person.