Discussion “Managing Change: The Art of Transition” for VMU community
We invite VMU students and staff to participate in the discussion “Managing Change: The Art of Transition”, which will be held in the framework of Alumni Day’22.
The international VMU alumni will share the best practices among each other on the crucial today’s topic: transition. Transition is an ongoing process which involves adaptation to different contexts and changes in interpersonal relationships (Jindal-Snape, 2010).
At the same time, the university has developed throughout its history. Many transitions happened because of which VMU developed, improved, became better, and adapted to the modern challenges of the world and these changes also affected its students, graduates, and teachers.
The discussion covers 4 main pillars:
- The transition from student life to professional life (alumni share their career stories focusing on ups and downs after graduation and how they overcome or manage them)
- The transition from one job to another (alumni share their experience on career changes, personal stories, lessons, tips, etc.)
- Manage change and transition (alumni share their experiences at the workplace: how they act as a specialist/leader/head of the company in today’s world)
- Management of difficult life transitions (alumni share their experience about job loss, moving to another country or another related topic etc.)
What: Discussion “Managing Change: The Art of Transition”
When: November 11, Friday, 15.00–17.00
Where: VMU Small Hall, S. Daukanto str. 28, Kaunas
Format: In-person
Meet our speakers – international VMU graduates:
Alexander Samuel Hixson, an alumnus of Sociolinguistics and Multilingualism MA programme (2022)
Topic “Changing from a student at VMU to a teacher at VMU and moving to another country”
Current Position: English Teaching Assistant at the Institute of Foreign Languages (B2)
About speaker:
I am 24 and I am from the UK. I speak English as my native language but also I speak German and Russian quite well, and I am learning Lithuanian.
I graduated in 2020 in England with a bachelors in English Language and TEFL, and then a Masters in 2022 from VMU in Sociolinguistics and Multilingualism (SoMu). I studied in Germany and Sweden before teaching in Lithuania. My biggest research interests lie in how language affects the shape of the world around us. My master’s thesis was on the difference in coverage of the Ukrainian war by US and Chinese news outlets, and how their perspectives “frame” our world in different ways and lead to each country’s people having a different outlook.
Angelica Peccini, an alumna of Sociolinguistics and Multilingualism MA programme (2017)
Topic “Limiting beliefs, fears, and the versatility of skills: how to get the best from the unpredictability of life”
Current position: PhD student at Vilnius University and International Relations Coordinator at KTU (faculty of Mechanical engineering and Design)
About speaker:
My education and work experiences are very different. I graduated in Translation studies in Italy and completed my Master’s program at VMU in Sociolinguistics and Multilingualism. As a PhD student, I research migrants’ identities through Lithuanian language learning, and at the same time, I work as an International Relations Coordinator at KTU by promoting and supporting students’ and teachers’ mobility abroad at the faculty of Mechanical engineering and Design. In the last ten years, I have worked several jobs in a variety of fields as tourism, design, language teaching, translation, and event organization: I was feeling unsuitable and struggling to fit in where my skills were actually needed the most. When I understood I was not a job position title but the competencies I had, the job market did not scare me anymore.
Kayako Takagi, an alumna of Educational Management MA programme (2019)
Topic “Manage change and transition”
Current position: Lecturer at the Faculty of Humanity and senior coordinator of the Centre for Asian Studies at Vytautas Magnus University.
About speaker:
I received BA in International Communication from Kansai Gaidai University in 2012 in Japan and M.Ed. in Educational Management from Vytautas Magnus University in 2019. Since I completed the Japanese language teaching program in 2012, I have taught at various educational institutes in multiple countries. My work focuses specifically on the Community of Practice and extensive reading of the Japanese language (tadoku).
Lakshya Dave, an alumnus of Applied English Linguistics MA programme (2022)
Topic “Transitioning as an international immigrant”
Current position: Social Media Manager
About speaker:
Coming from India, been living in Lithuania for 6 years. I have also lived in Mexico, Spain, China, and Austria for long periods of time. I have travelled to over 40 countries, so I have had my fair share of transitions and I can tell you it’s a love-hate relationship.
Deadline: November 9
See you at the event!