ELA Alumna of the Month – June 2024
We are delighted to kick-off our new ELA Alumna of the Month series today. Our first inspiring young leader is Anna Keleman from Hungary. Anna is an alumna of the 2023 Summer School in Valencia and winner of the Dialogue Queen award. She has now left her native Hungary and is currently living and working in The Netherlands.
Read on to learn about what the ELA experience has meant for her.
Which aspects of the European Leadership Academy made your time with us such a life-changing experience for you?
Definitely meeting all the girls! My impostor syndrome kicked in immediately after arrival, as I was surrounded by some of the most accomplished girls of my generation! Their achievements, stories, failures, kindness and openness created an atmosphere for growth I have never experienced before.
How did the ELA programme you attended impact your personal growth? What’s a moment or sentence that you will never forget?
Personally, the programme and especially its participants gave me a 'just do it' mindset. Whenever an idea of a project came up, no one around you doubted your capabilities to achieve it, and this level of trust and support between women created an indescribable feeling.
Did the programme influence your plans? Did it bring you closer to your goals and/or help you take a different path?
It definitely encouraged me to 'go for' and try out not only new ideas and paths but to actually start working towards goals and plans that I was often too scared to tell anyone about.
What steps have you taken in your life and career since completing the programme?
Embraced 'just go for it'! Applying for ELA, I didn't think I would get in, yet now I'm an alumni. Now, if I see an opportunity I am interested in, I apply - regardless of the requirements. With this mindset, I got into a McKinsey training program for final/penultimate year students as a first year!
What have you achieved in the past few years that you are you most proud of?
Learned to be flexible with goals: I realised that some old dreams I was holding onto no longer match my life path. The ELA had a huge role in helping me accept this, and made me realise that at the same time, this provided me with a wonderfully fresh carte blanche for creating new dreams.
Knowing what you know now – what would you wish to have done differently?
Embraced my personality and my goals a lot more! A lot of the girls I met during ELA did amazing things during high school, a time when I was too shy to publicly show my interests and goals. Having seen them break down barriers, I would encourage my past self to do the same with my own!
How did the programme shape your view of society and the changes that digital technology can bring?
It shone light onto areas of society which I didn't realise were so significantly affected by technology, especially the rise of AI. The positives and the negatives of these provided me with not only hope, but a new type of motivation to join these fields and make a change as well.
What is your vision for a more inclusive and sustainable future and how do you aim to contribute to it?
Coming from a country where creative & critical thinking is not taught and education focuses on repetition (except in private extracurricular education), inclusivity for me means letting girls who otherwise would have no idea about opportunities like this know that chances like ELA exist.
What advice would you give the many women out there wishing to make a difference?
I think this is clear from my past answers: just go for it! And if your environment tells you 'no', surround yourself with people who share your motivation to make a change.
Lastly, please share the name of one song / book / movie that inspires you. The ELA community is always eager to broaden the sources of imagination and creativity!
My favourite TV show is 'The Newsroom', which I think highlights a lot of topical issues (especially regarding the media) whilst being incredibly funny and managing to give hope to viewers as well.