Maria João is a Postdoctoral Researcher in the field of Diabetes and Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease at NOVA Medical School and DECSIS Iberia II, Portugal. She completed her undergraduate degree and master’s in Biomedical Sciences, after which she developed her PhD at NOVA Medical School in collaboration with APDP – Diabetes Portugal.

Currently, she works on interdisciplinary projects with academic and clinical partners to explore the mechanisms that lead to the onset and development of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and type 2 diabetes. 

Updated on Tuesday, 17/02/2026

During my third year at the university, I started to think about ways to use my knowledge gained at the university in practice. I began to look for places in Lithuania. Still, I told myself that while I’m a student, why don’t I use this fantastic privilege and gain experience abroad. And that is when I decided that the Erasmus+ program could make my dreams come true!

I’ve done my internship in London, United Kingdom, and what can I say, boy oh boy, what an experience it has been! At first, it wasn’t easy to adapt to a new country and absolutely different culture, which is so diverse and unique. The most significant difference I saw is that people are always running somewhere like they are late for something! But I got used to it and I started to do the same things without realising it!

But besides that, the knowledge, skills and network I gained during my internship are astonishing. I travelled around London, saw new places, attended official meetings with EU representatives, and participated in interesting conferences. I met so many amazing people along the way, that I know I‘ll keep in touch with them in the future.

What else can I say… Well, the fact that I hesitated at first to go to this experience abroad now sounds completely ridiculous! I am glad I didn’t cancel my plans and decided to do this because it made me a better person in every possible way!

Updated on Tuesday, 17/02/2026

Marilù is a PhD researcher within the Marie Curie network "PersonalizeAF", science communicator and founder of the community "PhDISAGIO". Her goal is to break those barriers in research that prevent science from being open, gender-balanced & queer and to create a more inclusive scientific world. 

Thanks to social media she brings science into the everyday life of her community and sends the message that “Science is for everyone”. As she says: "Nobody should be afraid of taking part in this process, you can help to make this change happen". 
 

Updated on Tuesday, 17/02/2026

I hope that the future has changed the consumption pattern of today's generation. This will result in less demand for consumer goods, fewer working hours for the individual worker, and thus more time for family, friends and hobbies. At the same time, it will result in less pollution of our planet.

I know that this also means a rebellion with the current division of labor and industry. Instead, I hope that the future will reward the social sector and social work better and also recognize all the work that takes place in the home - which is often done by women.

I hope that the future dares to act on the many danger signals that stand as flashpoints around the world. Whether it is wars, discrimination, injustice, undignified working conditions or psychological problems in young and old. Everything has one underlying crisis: the climate crisis. It must be acted upon based on various measures, where the world's decision-makers must dare to act. I hope that will have happened in 2040.

Feeling

When I think about the future, I am hopeful, but aware that the challenges and crises require action now.

Influence

In the big picture, decision-makers and powerful people are required to use the time for the important issues. As a European citizen, the first step is to start the dialogue with those closest to you at the local level, and as a young individual, use the available platforms, whether it is the local newspaper or your social media.
 

Updated on Tuesday, 17/02/2026

I would like that all people are fair and equally treated.  And I would like to keep enjoying plants and trees and animals, and to have a not too baldy polluted planet. We all will need to not just travel for unnecessary reasons, and avoid to use polluting transportation. I would invent something like combinable transport modules that can transport a variable number of person and be used together, so that not each and every car or truck goes on the road with an own motor polluting the air.

Feeling

I don’t know how to feel about everything that is going on. 

Influence

In my free time I learn as a junior firefighter how to handle emergencies and the required technical things, I would like to develop more solutions to help humans to adapt to the climate and take care of the planet, such as fighting fires, save water and energy. Also I help people and friends in South Africa cleaning very polluted rivers, so that they can swim there again. And I tell people about things that I see and what we can do.
 

Updated on Tuesday, 17/02/2026

My volunteering year felt like many lives were put into one. I've dreamed of living in Austria and here we go. My name is Maria, I'm from Ukraine from a lovely city Chernihiv that is now 70% damaged by russian bombs. I was lucky enough to start my volunteering before the full-scale russian invasion of Ukraine and to be surrounded by people who were willing to support and listen.

The start of my ESC volunteering happened during a lockdown and I didn't know what to expect we all were learning how to balance our lives and go back to normal, whatever normal is. I had to face many emotional difficulties along the way, starting in times of one lockdown, seeing life happening after, for a while, another lockdown, and then the full scare war escalation in my home country that started while I was still here. But at the same time, I learned a lot, about how to keep going with your life when all the stable constants of your life are torn apart and you have to find ones within yourself.

My case was unprecedented, because of the russian full-scale invasion I was lucky to have the chance to stay 3 more months longer. I've started my year as a Project Management and Communications Specialist at Verein Europa und Bildung. But thanks to my coordinating organization LOGO had an opportunity to stay longer at LOGO-jugendmanagement as a part of the PR department. I'm grateful for my journey and all the people who made it unforgettable.

There are not enough words to express my gratitude to Austria and all the people who support me and Ukraine. I met so many wonderful souls during my time in Austria that brought so much light into my path. I've discovered so much about myself during my time here and it's just the beginning. ESC is something that you should really go for, because it may open doors to paths, that you never knew existed before :)

All the challenges apart, it was a wonderful volunteering year, which ended up being a bit longer. I had my firsts, like visiting France for the first time ever, trying cross-country skiing, and starting all over. Austria has so much to offer, every region is incredibly wonderful (of course I'm forever in love with Styria), the people are so nice and the traditions are fascinating. I feel really lucky to be here and I recommend everyone to be open to their new wonderful experiences with the help of the European Solidarity Corps. :)

Updated on Tuesday, 17/02/2026

Andréa was born and raised in Aix-en-Provence, a small city in the South of France where she started in 2012 studying Foreign Languages, Literature and Real Estate.

In 2019, she decided to challenge herself and to move alone to Paris because of the professional opportunities and the multicultural aspect the city offers. During the Covid crisis, she decided to go back to her hometown and reflect on her next career path. After several years in the Real Estate field, she found her way towards her new current profession in the field of Human Resources. She loves to help and assist people in a completely new way. Her current role allows her to work in an international organisation as an HR Administrative Assistant and allows her to improve her language skills and work with people from different backgrounds and cultures.

This experience allows her to grow on so many levels and, most of all, she has learned that when you feel the need and see an opportunity for change, you must rise to the challenge. Often what you find is even better than expected. The best is always yet to come.

Updated on Tuesday, 17/02/2026

Gabriele Marija studied law and alternative dispute resolution in the UK. Her research interests lie in conflict resolution, animal law, sustainability, and public health. She is a former Project Manager at Create Lithuania - a unique program for professional development and applicability of best foreign practices to Lithuania's public sector. Together with her colleagues, she has developed a framework for assessing zoo animal welfare and is currently working on implementing the Easy-to-Read project in Lithuania.

Updated on Tuesday, 17/02/2026