Scholarships to the European Forum Alpbach Support Intellectual Exchange and Learning for Three CEU Student Recipients

CEU students Maryam Hasanova, Nora Kaul Hoelgaard and Jakob Hutter participated in the 2024 European Forum Alpbach (EFA) on scholarships through a partnership with the university. Over two weeks in August, they attended seminars, participated in discussions, and networked with youth delegates and experienced thought leaders from all over the world, exchanging and contributing ideas toward shaping a stronger Europe. The 2024 EFA attracted almost 4,300 participants from 108 countries and centered on the theme, “Moment of Truth”, inspired by the current super election year.  

The comprehensive student scholarships covered the full participation fee for the EFA, travel, accommodation and per diem for the two weeks in Alpbach, Austria. Scholarship recipients were selected by CEU’s Office of Student Engagement through an application process in May that considered aspects of academic performance, community engagement work as well as student perspectives on European issues and on what it means to participate as a changemaker. 

European Forum Alpbach. Photo courtesy of Nora Kaul Hoelgaard.

During the first week, August 18-24, the approximately 500 student and youth participants, including Hasanova, Kaul Hoelgaard and Hutter, were immersed in two seminars daily on topics of their choosing. For the second week, August 24-30, additional professionals – scholars, scientists, policy makers and civil society actors – joined for talks connected to the themes of the 2024 EFA and for extensive networking. 

Hasanova, a second-year student in CEU’s MA in Political Science program, selected a seminar on economic inequalities for its relation to her thesis topic, and another focused on leadership and decision making, with group tasks and simulations led in the forest by a leadership trainer from the Austrian Armed Forces and an advisor to the Ministry of Defense. 

“It was honestly life-changing for me, the whole experience of this leadership seminar because I learned a lot about myself,” said Hasanova. “The ‘line of departure’ is a term that refers to a moment when you must make quick and sometimes risky decisions. During the group exercises, we were performing different tasks that revealed how we might act in certain situations and what we can learn from that.”  

Hasanova explained that the seminar provided her with personalized feedback and a greater awareness of how she participates in group dynamics and decision making. “We also had time in the role of the observer and that was important because I could really witness how a leader emerges in a group. I've never had a chance to observe this intentionally,” she said. Hasanova said she also particularly enjoyed the student-led “Food for Thought” sessions held during lunches across a diverse range of topics. 

European Forum Alpbach "Fireside Chat" with Alberto Alemano. Photo courtesy of Nora Kaul Hoelgaard.

Kaul Hoelgaard, a third-year student in CEU’s Culture, Politics and Society BA program, chose seminars on the depolarization of communication (co-chaired by CEU alumna Maja Nenadovic) and on the contributions of the space revolution, which required students to complete a space policy challenge project. 

“My main field of interest is democracy as well as the participation of youth. At Alpbach, there were a lot of related topics with a focus on the next five years and the priorities to be addressed by the European Union, such as climate change, security as well as maintaining democracy and innovation,” said Kaul Hoelgaard, who served as president of CEU’s student union last year and is studying abroad this year at the London School of Economics and Political Science. 

“On nearly the last day of EFA, I had a ‘pinch me’ moment because I was able to be on stage and talk about the role of power in student government and the importance of relationship building and working together,” she said. “There were four speakers and one empty seat onstage, and every ten minutes, someone from the audience could talk about the role of young leaders within Europe’s poly-crisis.” 

Hutter (2nd from L) during the "Staying Sane in a Smart World" seminar. Photo by EFA/Philipp Huber.

Reflecting on the EFA, Hutter, who is pursuing his bachelor's degree in Data Science and Society, said about the forum: “You have to leave your comfort zone. It’s something that really pushes you, because you meet a hundred new people a day, and there are so many inspiring projects [that] are going on.”  

Hutter attended seminars focused on engaging artificial intelligence for democracy and social good, a topic connected to his studies at CEU, as well as a seminar on digitalization and mental health. He said that a powerful moment for him came during lunch with two people also interested in political science. Their conversation resulted in a recognition of complementary skills as well as ideas for potential collaboration with an NGO that one leads. “I think there is a very long tail to what happens here at Alpbach,” said Hutter. 

All three CEU students mentioned that they found the unique containers for conversation and networking to be a compelling part of what makes EFA so distinct. Hutter said he appreciated the intimate nature of “fireside chats”, which are private talks with just a handful of people led by one of the forum’s thought leaders. He said that that this type of structure allowed for intense and engaging debates and exchanges. Kaul Hoelgaard, who attended a fireside chat with German climate activist Luisa Neubauer, also participated in a hike with four panelists and a group of 30 people. They walked and talked together for three hours in the natural landscape of the mountains in Alpbach.  

In addition to the formal EFA programming, numerous clubs with various affiliations also organized events around town. Hasanova said the biggest challenge was choosing what to attend given so much simultaneous activity, knowing that there would be some opportunity cost for her decisions. 

“When you're exposed to different topics and different opinions, you find that you may even change yourself,” she said. “This is what happened to me, talking to different people every single day. By the end of the second week in this environment, I got to know a different version of myself that I've never seen before. At EFA, I felt I had grown in a positive and expansive way.”