Bruna Bastos – President
Hi everyone! 😊 My name is Bruna, I am from Portugal and I am currently doing my masters in hand therapy. I am also part of the student association in my school along with other roles within the school and institution.
When I knew there were vacaciens for the board in SPOTeurope I decided to apply, because I think it is so important and great to be part of associations that care and can improve our student life. In SPOTeurope I have been the social media lead, events coordinator and now president. Anything you think is worth sharing with us, please be our guest to share it through social media or email. I am looking forward to continue this amazing journey!
Megan Zina – Outreach Coordinator
Hi guys 😊 My name is Megan and I’m at my thrid year as an OT student in Leiria, Portugal. I was born in Canada, and I guess this is when my interest in internationalization started and my urge to travel. With this, besides travelling and my love for OT, my interests are reading young fiction books, having fun with my family, friends, and pets, listening to music and cooking!
Ever since I entered university, I was fulfilled with everything about SPOTeurope, and it always captivated me to join the SPOT community and to help it grow. That’s what I will be fighting for in my position as the Outreach Coordinator: captivate other universities across the world and help other universities create their own MiniSPOT. If you have ambition for sharing the OT profession and connect with other OT students while having fun, I will gladly talk to you! According to your desire, we can settle a MiniSPOT in your university or you can also join the SPOTeurope’s Sounding Board! Any questions about these topics feel free to contact me (outreach@spoteurope.eu), I will be more than happy to help you through this fun journey!
Vanessa Rozalina – Student Board Member ENOTHE
Wassup guys! My name is Vanessa Rozalina. I am a fourth-year Occupational therapy student at the Hogeschool van Arnhem and Nijmegen (HAN) in the Netherlands. I am originally from the Caribbean; the beautiful island called St. Maarten (Dutch Caribbean Islands). I have resided in the Netherlands. My interest in internationalization started from a young age because I grew up on a multicultural island. It has increased when I found out that in my university, I can combine internalization and my study together in order to learn more about OT in different countries and to learn more about OT interventions. My classmates had introduced me to SPOTeurope and SPOTeurope’s mission and vision drew me to the joined team. What also drew me to SPOTeurope was knowing that I have the ability to gain more knowledge on different cultures, OT students/ practitioners abroad, and gaining intercultural skills. I am currently the social media lead and will transition shortly as a Student Board Member in SPOTeurope. Lastly, I love dogs, guinea pigs, and dancing and I am a very spontaneous and adventurous person.”
Kira Hanßmann – Events Coordinator
Hey everyone! My name is Kira, I am from Germany and currently in my third year of my dual studies of occupational therapy at the University of Applied Sciences Osnabrueck and OT-School Osnabrueck (ETOS). In my free time I love making music, singing, drawing and photography. My family moved around a lot when I was younger, and I spent my childhood growing up in Germany, Ireland and Australia. Internationalisation, especially connecting with people from different countries and cultures, has therefore been a big part of my life from an early age.
During my internship in Vienna I got to know SPOTeurope and was immediately keen on joining the board! Now I have the chance to be involved in connecting OT students across Europe. Through this, I believe we can all strengthen our therapeutic role, support professionalisation and gain intercultural skills by broadening our horizons. In SPOTeurope I took on the job as the blogger and am therefore responsible i.e. for our monthly blog posts. If you want to share your own individual experiences as a guest blogger, please feel free to contact me at blogger@spoteurope.eu. I am eager to be a part of SPOTeurope and looking forward to exciting times ahead!
Ulrik Løth Holm – General Board Member
‘Hello everyone! My name is Ulrik, and I am 24 years old. I am located in Denmark and study Occupational Therapy at the University College of Northern Denmark where I am currently in my third semester. I was born in Saudi Arabia, then I moved to the UK and when I was four years old, I moved to Denmark. So, I have a very multicultural background, which is most likely why I am interested in working with internationalization, and why I was inspired to join SPOTeurope. My dream is to be a part of creating a future with culturally competent healthcare workers in a globalized world. In my spare time, I enjoy reading, writing, gaming, working out and spending time with my girlfriend and friends – coffee being my sustenance. I am super excited to be a general board member of SPOTeurope and I look forward to taking part in and contributing towards the many projects which are being initiated, created, and managed by the awesome members of SPOTeurope.
Aleyna Kayim – Blogger
Hello everyone! My name is Aleyna, and I am from Turkey, currently,I am a fourth-year Occupational Therapy student at Hacettepe University. In my spare time, I love reading, writing, and drawing, and keen on both analog and digital photography. Also, I have a special interest in learning different languages. I grew up in a multicultural environment, and the things I watched and read while I was growing up, and the people I met, always increased my desire and curiosity to communicate with people from different cultures. Ever since I was little, I knew that no matter what department I was in I would prioritize interculturalism.
My paths crossed with SPOTeurope when I was a part of the Mini Spot team at my university and
when I realized how much its mission and vision fit with my life philosophy, I had a great motivation
to be included in the team. My adventure, which started in Sounding Board 1 year ago, now
continues with Blogger and the idea of reaching and connecting with the occupational therapy
community in the world continues to excite me. A new journey awaits me, and I am looking forward
to it!
Angela Palacios – Social Media Lead
Hi everyone!😊 My name is Angela, I am 21 years old and a second-year Occupational Therapy student at the Miguel Hernandez University in Spain. I am also from the US, which might be the reason behind my interest in internationalization, as it has always been part of my family though different generations. In my spare time, I like to catch up with friends, dance and play piano.
I got to know about SPOT Europe through my university and from that moment on I looked forward to a chance of becoming a member, since I saw my needs and wants for connecting with other OT students across Europe and gaining knowledge around how OT practice looks like in different countries. With this, I am more than thrilled to take on my role as a Social Media Lead for SPOT Europe and be part of this community. I look forward towards the rest of this journey ahead of me. You are all welcome to share about your experiences as an OT student with others through social media!