What inspired you to join the team at New York University Prague?
I had worked at NYU Prague for about five years previously, as a Czech teacher during the orientation week, so I knew the program quite well. I’ve always enjoyed working with students, and I was excited about the different approach to learning at NYU compared to the schools I knew in the Czech Republic.
I had also organized several projects to help Czech students connect with visiting NYU students, giving them a chance to get to know each other and exchange experiences. I was also working with Roma students, and many NYU students had come to me to talk to me about the challenges that this minority group faces in this country. I decided to apply because I liked the NYU Prague environment, I liked the students, and I was excited about getting a chance to work more closely with them beyond orientation week.
Can you tell us about your position?
My job is very diverse—I oversee all aspects of student life, so I get involved in a wide range of activities. There are practical things such as arranging visas, managing and training our Resident Advisors—who are local Czech university students—handling health concerns, making housing assignments, and basically helping when needed. The most fun aspect is overseeing trips and activities. I love the diversity and how I get to work with so many people and help our students feel at home in my native country.
How do you support students in their transition to life in Prague?
We provide them with as much information as they feel they need—both before they come and once they arrive. Our team organizes a wide range of activities aimed at helping students get to know the city, each other, our staff, Czech culture, etc. We try to make sure they are well aware of all of the available resources, which we ensure to keep up-to-date to meet students’ needs.
My door is always open to them, and I try to make sure they know they can come to me at any time if they need help or feel stressed. Because we are a small site, our staff has the opportunity to get to know the students very well, which also helps us support them when needed. I make sure that the RAs are well informed, too, and I try to help create an open community where RAs and students have good relationships so we can help them both on a personal and practical level. From the student feedback we receive, we can see that they appreciate that the NYU Prague staff knows them by their names—it makes them feel we really care about them, which we do!
You have some great work experience with Roma rights in various positions. How do you use this experience in your current role?
I have always loved bringing people from different communities together, and this job gives me the chance to do just that. We have included my former colleagues in various NGOs in several programs over the past few semesters: talks about diversity and identity, going on trips that include explorations of Roma culture and history, and bringing together Roma and NYU students on an informal basis. Hopefully we can continue to find ways in the future to bring Roma people together with NYU students so they can continue to learn from each other.
What is your favorite part of your job?
Again, it is probably bringing people together and spending time with them on a more informal basis, through trips, at events, and even chatting on campus. I also love helping the students connect with locals, so they can get to know this country way beyond being a tourist. I love being involved in the trips with my colleagues and thinking of ways that we can expand students’ educational scopes, as well as respond to their interests and needs.
I like making an impact and influencing the students’ lives in a positive way—expanding their horizons and exposing them to places, experiences, or situations that are new. I would like them to go back home with memories of new, eye-opening experiences that I have helped create in some way.
You have a family with dual nationalities… Does this change the way you approach working with international students?
Certainly! I have been living with my American husband for 20 years, which has certainly affected my view of the world, of the USA, and of the Czech Republic. Thanks to him, I have spent a lot of time with Americans, and I feel that I relate to them quite well. I’m very happy that my children, who are half-Americans (three boys aged 9, 12, and 15), have the chance to meet the NYU students. The students provide them with positive role models and open their horizons. I think the students also appreciate connection with my boys, who can help them connect with this country in another way.
What challenges do you face in your position and how do you overcome them?
With a big group of students, there is a wide variety of issues, experiences, and expectations. It is of course sometimes challenging to respond to all and make everyone happy, but the whole team tries our best!
What makes Prague an exciting location for international students?
Prague is a relatively small city—only 1.5 million inhabitants—with a lot going on thanks to its location in the middle of Europe as well as the city’s reputation as a cultural hub. We get so many international artists, intellectuals, leaders coming here, it helps make Prague an extraordinarily vibrant place.
Ticket prices are much lower than they would be in New York, so some fantastic events really are accessible to students. The city is easy to navigate either on foot or using our amazing public transportation system. It’s very beautiful and livable place.
As for our faculty, among them are some of the country’s best-known journalists, diplomats, politicians, musicians, and historians, who teach students in very small classes and get to know students on an individual basis.
Students love the central location of Prague—it’s so easy to visit many other European countries from here—and we also love to take our students to Czech towns where they can discover the beauty of the countryside and the exquisite historic sites outside of the capital. Students can see, do, and experience so much in a semester!
Why is it important for individuals to travel and experience in new cultures?
I think it’s crucial to get out of your box to do things you wouldn’t normally do, to be in a new place with new people who hold different values and opinions, to get out of your comfort zone. I myself traveled a lot and lived abroad for a year before I had children, and it was one of the best experiences of my life. Not always an easy one, but very formative and after all very enjoyable.
Besides learning a lot about yourself, you also get to know another culture in a very different way than if you just come as a tourist. They gain new soft skills—global openmindness and a sense of inclusiveness. Some students call the study away “the most formative four months of their lives.” It’s good understanding that they are stepping into another culture, it helps them be more empathetic, to understand what it’s like to be a foreigner. You see that you can do certain things, even though you run into obstacles and all of a sudden the obstacles are more like welcomed challenges.
What hopes do you have for the future of NYU Prague?
We hope the students will continue to leave Prague with best possible memories and then recommend our site to their friends back home. We hope Prague will continue to be a popular, beautiful, and safe destination so we have a chance to welcome many NYU students to experience the best it has to offer.
