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Results

Congratulations to Gurgen Aslanyan (Alumni Award Winner of 2016) and Jindřich Gallo (Honorary Alumni Award)! Read more about the results of Alumni Awards. 

Nominations

We are delighted to present to you CERGE-EI alumni that were nominated for Alumni Awards 2016 for making a meaningful difference in their community.

Gurgen Aslanyan, 2014 PhD in Economics Graduate

Gurgen has been nominated for Alumni Award for his dedication to the economic development and prosperity of his home nation, Armenia. Since graduating, Gurgen was instrumental in shaping one of the most influential economic think tanks in Armenia, the Dilijan Research and Training Centre of the Central Bank of Armenia. The centre acts as the head research facility of Armenia's central bank, focusing on producing world-class data, research and research-based policy advising, disseminating economic information and encouraging higher education in economics. In addition to his responsibilites at the Centre, Gurgen has been active in sharing his western-styled education to students in various Eastern European universities and as a Member of the Board of Governors of the Armenian Economic Association that promotes quality standards in economics research. By returning to Armenia, Gurgen plays a crucial role in the economic recovery and vitality of the Armenian society.

Jindrich Gallo Jindřich Gallo, 2015 MA in Applied Economics Graduate

Jindřich has been nominated for Alumni Award for his fantastic contributions towards CERGE-EI students and other university communities around Prague. Last year Jindřich dedicated his spare time to set up a popular finance course, Damodaran’s Corporate Finance, open to all university students in the area. Throughout last semester and into the current one, Jindřich has put in hard effort and creativity in developing and maintaining valuable courses that encourage and advance financial education for university students without any personal remuneration. Jindřich also initiated the very first student club at CERGE-EI, the Prague Wall Street Club, for which he continues to host free events and courses for students across Prague. His activity in the CERGE-EI community is highly prized for engaging and connecting financial experts with economics students and helping promote Economics higher education within the region.

Martin Kálovec, 2002 PhD in Economics Graduate

Martin has been nominated for Alumni Award for his exceptional assistance to ensuring CERGE-EI’s progress and growth in the CEE region. As a Partner and Managing Director at the Boston Consulting Group in Prague, Martin delivered invaluable consultancy advice as pro bono service to CERGE-EI. In the past year, the time and expertise that Martin voluntarily provided was central to the long-term development strategy and impact of CERGE-EI. Through his guidance, CERGE-EI was enabled to improve the effectiveness of management processes and strengthening its success as a leading economic institute in the region. Martin gave key advice in the redefinition of CERGE-EI’s mission, which has played a crucial part in the advancement of economics education and research by giving greater meaning and direction to the institutes’ efforts. With Martin’s help, CERGE-EI will continue to evolve and thrive in Central and Eastern Europe, ensuring that the economics community can continue to access world-class facilities and resources within the region.

Iva PejsarováIva Pejsarová, 2013 MA in Economics Graduate

Iva has been nominated for Alumni Award for her admirable success in establishing Cafedu, a highly successful study café designed for students to work and connect with others around Prague. The café and 24/7 study room acts to facilitate productive study arrangements and a collaborative learning space. Through the creation of Cafedu, Iva has devoted a place for students to integrate into the academic community by learning of ongoing opportunities and student events. Over the past months, the establishment has allowed CERGE-EI and other universities to connect with student communities and spread awareness of free activities and projects that enrich their academic experience. Now an economist at the Czech National Bank, Iva continues to commit time to ensuring Cafedu continues to function as an effective learning environment and valuable network between students and institutions.

Branislav SaxaBranislav Saxa, 2009 PhD in Economics Graduate

Branislav has been nominated forAlumni Award for his outstanding service to Economics student communities across Prague. Now a Principal Economist at the Czech National Bank, Branislav has played a crucial role in bridging the divide between central bankers and students of economics and related fields. As part of the Economics Discovery Hub Branislav freely opened his course, Monetary Theory and Policy, to all interested students in the community and also provided a free workshop, Careers in Central Banking. These projects were created with the intention of encouraging students to pursue a higher degree in Economics as well as provide them with a greater insight into a profession in implementing Monetary Policy. In this way Branislav used his expertise to enrich the student academic experience for all those interested in Central Banking as well as spread awareness of the opportunities available in Economics. Branislav often devotes his time attending CERGE-EI networking and student events, helping inspire passion towards Economics studies in the CEE region.

Dragana StanisicDragana Stanišić, 2013 PhD in Economics Graduate

Dragana has been nominated for Alumni Award for her exemplary commitment to support the development and education of girls in the rural Balkan region. From her office at GfK in Amsterdam, Dragana initiated a project with two colleagues last December to financially support the education of female students from remote areas of Serbia and Croatia. By financing English language courses and technology literacy education, Dragana’s campaign will enable young girls to break out of the circle of poverty and lack of opportunity that many of them face. Within a few days, Dragana managed to raise €1,160 that will be used to send 5 girls (living in high school dormitory) to an English language course in Novi Sad. This fund is just the start of Dragana’s initiative to equip rural students to obtain a quality education and tackle the inequality of opportunity that continues to persist in many remote regions of Eastern Europe. Additionally, Dragana is also the organizer and coordinator of the CERGE-EI Women Group on LinkedIn. A platform created to ensure better networking, sharing of professional knowledge, and experiences between the alumnae of CERGE-EI. 

Jiří Střelický, 2011 PhD in Economics Graduate

Jiří has been nominated for Alumni Award for his tremendous generosity to Nadace CERGE-EI and students of the MA in Applied Economics program. Through his long-term support and services for Nadace CERGE-EI, for which he continues to maintain as the chairman of the fund, Jiří has assisted the non-profit entity to foster economics education in Czech Republic and throughout Central and Eastern Europe. Furthermore, after having recently taught a course in the MA in Applied Economics program at CERGE-EI, Jiří has donated all his earning from the activity into financially aiding talented students who are eager to undertake graduate education in Prague. This money will be used to provide scholarships to selected students in the 2016-17 academic year. Jiří’s contributions are imperative to ensuring that CERGE-EI continues to nurture world-class economic researchers and provide high-quality facilities to the economic community in the region.

Call

Your vote can decide! We are searching for a CERGE-EI graduate that has made a significant contribution to their community in the past year and a half. This can be anything from working in an organization focused on social development, pro bono involvements or extracurricular activities that have a social impact. 

Online voting is now open. Vote for alumni whose contribution you like the most. You can vote till 26 May, 2016 (12:00 noon ECT).

The award will be presented during the 25th Anniversary Gala on 27 May, 2016.