Zara attending the EMA General Assembly 2024 for the EMLE programme

Our Programme Representative in the EMA, Zara Kaushik, attended the 18th General Assembly of the Erasmus Mundus Student and Alumni Association (EMA) in Turkey in May 2024. Here her report!

The Erasmus Mundus Association (EMA) held its 18th General Assembly and 1st Annual Conference in Istanbul, Türkiye, on 24 May 2024. I attended the GA as programme representative of the EMLE to the EMA.

As all of us students and alumni of EMJM [Erasmus Mundus Joint Master] programmes know, the EMJM experience is entirely unique – the selection of universities, diversity in locations, continual travel through the academic year, and the exposure to different cultures. The EMA GA has always been a wonderful opportunity for EMJM students and alumni to reconvene, relive the Erasmus Mundus experience, and develop it further into post-study opportunities. 

There were over 150 participants on day 1, covering 64 nationalities which included approximately 25 Programme Representatives (PRs) from various programmes! Other attendees included representatives of the European Commission and the EU Delegation to Türkiye, students, alumni and ambassadors of EMJM programmes, as well as EMJM consortia coordinators, among others. The event was also livestreamed on YouTube. 

The GA agenda included introductions by the EMA Management Board; encouraging words from Pia Ahrenkilde Hansen (Director General of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture) and Adrian Veale (Policy Officer for Africa & Capacity Building for Higher Education at the DG EAC), and Hélène Banegas (Project Adviser for Erasmus+ International Alumni at the European Education and Culture Executive Agency).

Various inspiring EMA volunteers were also spotlighted.

The GA discussed issues around digital education and the global recognition of EMJM degrees, as well as celebrating 20 years of Erasmus Mundus and 18 years of the Erasmus Mundus Association. Specifically, several attendees during networking breaks discussed the success of the EMLE programme with me, in my capacity as PR, and the EMLE’s position as a benchmark among EMJM programmes.

EMLE students and alumni would do very well to join the Erasmus Mundus Association, given its opportunities for networking and projects among the wider EMJM alumni, and as a platform for alumni voices to be heard.

Thank you very much, Zara, for attending on behalf of the EMLE and sharing your experience! If you would like to get into touch with Zara, you can contact her by email to emle@em-a.eu.