Meet the Hertie School’s CIVICA Ambassadors Aneta and Vermon

The Hertie School and the international university alliance CIVICA have appointed the two CIVICA Ambassadors for the 2025/2026 Academic Year. Aneta Migátová, from Slovakia, a second-year Master of International Affairs and student assistant for the Hertie Centre for Digital Governance; and Vermon Washington, from Liberia, a second-year Master of Public Policy student, will act as links between the Hertie student community and the broader CIVICA community. Additionally, David Christian Busley, a first-year Master of Public Policy student from Germany, was elected as the Hertie School Representative on the CIVICA Student and Early-Stage Researchers Board.

The role of CIVICA Ambassadors and CIVICA Representatives

CIVICA Ambassadors range from undergraduate students to postdoctoral researchers and represent each university within the ten-partner alliance. Their role is to promote interaction and exchange within the alliance’s communities and to serve as the initial point of contact for their peers with CIVICA. The ambassador network actively influences CIVICA by initiating grassroots projects and participating in both formal and informal alliance activities.

“We are excited to have Aneta and Vermon as our CIVICA Ambassadors this year. From Aneta’s work with the Centre for Digital Governance to Vermon’s Student Life position, focussed on building community, both Ambassadors have made themselves familiar faces around campus, connecting with both students and staff. They will effectively link the Hertie campus with the wider CIVICA network, showcasing both what our community has to offer and what it can learn from our partners. We look forward to their achievements!” says Ciara Shelly from the Hertie School’s Student Life and International Office. 
 
CIVICA Representatives sit on the CIVICA Student and Early-Stage Researcher Board, which represents the voice of CIVICA students and early-stage researchers across all areas of the CIVICA alliance, particularly those relevant to them, such as student mobility, course offerings, research initiatives, the digital campus, library services, outreach activities, and non-curricular activities.
 
We spoke to Aneta and Vermon about why they became active and what they have planned as CIVICA Ambassadors. 

What motivated you to become a CIVICA Ambassador?

Aneta: I became a CIVICA Ambassador to strengthen connections between Hertie and other universities in the alliance. Each institution brings its own expertise and perspective, and I wanted to create opportunities for students to exchange ideas and learn from one another. By strengthening these collaborations, I believe we can prepare students to become more effective, globally minded policymakers who approach challenges with creativity and collective insight.

Vermon: Having studied at both IE University and the Hertie School, I’ve directly experienced the value and importance of CIVICA’s cross-campus collaboration, and I wanted to create awareness of the huge benefits CIVICA offers to all students at the Hertie School. After co-organising HackEd 2025, which was funded by the CIVICA Student Engagement Fund, I realised that cross-collaboration between students in the alliance provides unique value, often leading to collective innovation that, in turn, drives real collaboration to address policy challenges. I aim to continue promoting inclusive collaboration by connecting students and ideas across various universities within the CIVICA alliance.

Why does CIVICA matter for Hertie students?

Aneta: CIVICA adds an extra dimension to student life at Hertie. It enables us to go beyond Berlin and engage with peers, faculty and projects across Europe. This network allows our learning experience to go beyond one institution and be part of a broader conversation on governance, policy and innovation. For Hertie students, CIVICA makes studying here not just about Hertie, but about belonging to an international academic community.

Vermon: The CIVICA alliance provides Hertie students with a unique platform to connect with peers beyond Hertie, thus enabling cross-campus collaborations with peers from leading European universities. Additionally, it strengthens Hertie’s motto of “Understand today. Shape tomorrow.” by creating an avenue for students to connect, network and share ideas with other emerging leaders.  The alliance also enables students to transform academic learning into top-notch policy insights through a range of projects and programmes. Thanks to CIVICA, students have access to diverse perspectives, joint research and a truly European community of practice.

What will your goals as a CIVICA Ambassador be, and what student-led initiatives would you like to develop? 

Aneta: My priorities as a CIVICA Ambassador are to encourage student collaboration across campuses and to strengthen the sustainability dimension of our alliance. I’m particularly eager to launch and support initiatives that make our universities greener together, through joint sustainability challenges, workshops and student-led projects that exchange ideas on campus transitions and climate action. I also aim to help expand the futurEU initiative, bringing in students from other CIVICA institutions to engage in cross-university discussions on European policy and governance.

Vermon: My goal is to strengthen collaboration across CIVICA institutions through inclusive, student-driven projects. I plan to expand innovative programmes into ongoing cross-campus activities, launch tailored sessions to promote engagement, and create mechanisms for cross-campus collaboration. Ultimately, my most ambitious goal is to make CIVICA vibrant within Hertie’s student life and to facilitate collaboration among students from other universities, thereby ensuring the creation and realisation of meaningful student-led projects across the alliance. 

About the CIVICA Student Engagement Fund

The Student Engagement Fund is a mini-grant funding scheme designed to support student-led joint initiatives within the CIVICA alliance. It aims to foster cross-campus collaboration among students and student associations from diverse disciplines and backgrounds in addressing the pressing issues facing Europe today, and to further enrich students’ experience within the alliance.

Interested in applying? Visit CIVICA’s Student Engagement Fund page.

About CIVICA: 

CIVICA – The European University of Social Sciences brings together ten leading European higher education institutions in the social sciences. CIVICA aims to build an inter-university campus that provides joint and long-lasting opportunities in teaching, research and innovative learning, while enhancing academic excellence and facilitating civic engagement in Europe and beyond. CIVICA was selected by the European Commission as one of the pilot European Universities in 2019 and confirmed as a successful alliance in 2022 for its full roll-out under the Erasmus+ programme. Read more on civica.eu.