Au Revoir et Bienvenue

As part of her Bachelors in International Tourism Management at the University of Surrey, UK, Elina completed her placement year at CERN in the Office for Alumni Relations as a Junior Alumni Relations Communications and Support officer. As we begin to say au revoir, Elina reflects on her experience at CERN and shares some key moments that made her time here unforgettable.

Starting her internship despite Covid restrictions being still in place, Elina was nevertheless able to have a memorable experience working at CERN. She was thrown in at the deep-end, more or less after arriving at CERN and exclaims, “what I enjoyed the most was organising events and learning about all the behind-the-scenes preparations. I will always remember my time working on the second CERN Alumni reunion event – Second Collisions." The event took place on a dedicated online platform, which recreated the CERN site, allowing participants to explore CERN and move around iconic buildings. It lasted three days and it was transmitted live from a green studio inside CERN. Elina adds, “I also got the chance to appear on screen to present one CERN Alumni Award and to introduce one speaker – which was an amazing experience!”

Second Collisions was one of the first events Elina worked on when she joined the Alumni Relations team. Elina explains that this type of large-scale reunion event is organised every three years and is a great means to bring alumni together.  “It was a special event for me because it was the very first one I got involved in. There were so many months of preparations and so many details that had to line up, but overall, I think all the effort put into it was worth it. The event was very successful: it received 100% positive feedback from the participants as well as a Gold Circle of Excellence award from CASE. I am very proud that I had a small contribution to the success of the event and I am very excited for the Third Collisions in 2024!”

After 12 months of working at CERN, Elina shares her advice for other students who are just beginning their CERN experience, “take advantage of every opportunity CERN has to offer: volunteer for events, join clubs, meet with other students/interns and create connections-networking is very important. My CERN experience has also taught me the importance of discussing diverse topics with people from different backgrounds as it can really change your perspective!”

Elina gained various skills: “I really improved my computing skills as I had to learn to use many different platforms in a short period of time. I also gained communication skills, both written, as I wrote interview articles and social media content, and verbal from presenting in front of a wider audience in CERN’s Town Hall meeting. Moreover, I improved my organisation, time management, teamwork and problem-solving skills and gained a lot of insights into events and community management.”

Now a CERN Alumna, Elina shares her thoughts on the Alumni Network: “Having worked one year with the alumni relations team, I got to know all the features of the network and how helpful it can be for anyone-no matter what stage you are in your career. The platform is a great way of connecting with people that share the same unique background: a professional experience at CERN. Members of the network can use the ‘search’ function on the Community Map to look for people working in a specific industry, region or even company, making it very easy to get in touch with someone and ask questions or simply meet and network.

This is why it is very important that members of the network keep their profiles up to date. Moreover, the network is great for people in their early careers as it offers a jobs board, a mentoring module, a way of advertising your start-up and access to exclusive events with industry insights or virtual company showrooms. I would strongly encourage every member of the network to take a few minutes to explore the platform and discover all its unique features – there is for sure something of interest for everyone!”

Elina also states how “the network can bring a lot of value for its members. People should join because that gives them access to an exclusive network of over 8000 CERN alumni with unique career trajectories, various events that are organised regularly, access to mentoring, the possibility to come back to visit CERN and it will also keep them up to date with the latest news from the organisation.”

On behalf of everyone at CERN and the Alumni Relations team, we wish Elina every success for the future!

The Office for Alumni Relations, welcomes the newest addition to their team, Annum, she reflects on her first month working at CERN and what her expectations are for the year ahead.

Having just finished her first full month of working at CERN, Annum shares how she had a smooth transition from studying to starting her work at CERN: “Having previously worked in various industries, I feel that the skills I have acquired will be useful in my new role. My first day at CERN will definitely be a day that I will not forget. From first meeting the other interns starting at the same time as me, to the warm welcome from my team!”

“These past few weeks, I have been shadowing my colleagues so I can learn the duties that I will be taking over from Elina. I feel that my previous experience from working in customer service based roles will come in handy as I network with both CERN members and CERN Alumni. I am also looking forward to expand my skill set as I face new challenges in this role.”

Author: Annum Rao