Caelinn Cavalli: “Student input is essential to progress”
Caelinn was awarded the BAES–Una Europa Prize for Outstanding Representation of the Bachelor in European Studies. Through her participation in the Una Europa Student Board, Caelinn played a vital role in representing BAES students' concerns.
“Being part of the first BAES cohort often meant finding myself in spaces where few people knew who we were or what the programme represented. Those experiences taught me how important it is to include students’ perspectives: we bring the lived understanding of how a programme works in practice and what it means to build a community across universities.
"I’m now pursuing a two-year Master’s in International Security Studies at Charles University in Prague. I hope to continue on to a career as a security analyst, working with governments and organisations to strengthen their systems and responses in an increasingly complex geopolitical world.
"It’s an exciting path, one that allows me to keep connecting global perspectives with practical impact, just as BAES inspired me to do.”
Anna Serrano Schäffler (left), Caelinn Cavalli (centre) and Margot Vanduynslager (right) accept their prizes awarded during the BAES graduation ceremony.
Margot Vanduynslager: “Europe wasn’t built in a day”
Margot was awarded BAES–Una Europa Prize for Outstanding Programme Innovation, celebrating her leadership in founding the BAES Peer Assisted Learning programme (PAL).
“PAL is a peer-to-peer tutoring program I founded in September 2023. Being a young adult can be disorienting, especially in a context like BAES with people from so many places and no geographical stability. PAL helped to bridge BAES cohorts together and create a sense of community
“When I arrived in Paris for my major, although I had moved back to my home country, when I looked around I was surrounded by people with whom I shared much more than just nationality. This gave me a feeling of Europe – and the world more generally – as a space where I can find community.
“Europe was not built in one day and it wasn’t built with one name. This Bachelor is the very embodiment of what it means to integrate in Europe: it is women and men working hard, encountering hurdles and persevering in the pursuit of what they believe to be the right direction for Europeans.”
Anna Serrano Schäffler: “The people I’ve met are what made BAES truly special to me”
Having achieved the highest academic results among this year’s graduates, Anna was awarded the BAES–Una Europa Prize for Outstanding Academic Performance
“The BAES's interdisciplinary approach has prompted me to be more curious. By allowing me to explore different disciplines and observe the world through their lens, BAES has made it hard to be content with not knowing something or not digging deeper: there’s always so much more to learn.
“Living and studying in such a diverse and enriching environment has been full of surprises. The variety of opinions, lifestyles and stories that I’ve encountered through the people I’ve met is what made BAES truly special to me.
"It’s one thing to hear about Europe in class or read about the idea of ‘unity in diversity’ in an assigned reading, and another to experience it.”
