My name is Christina Kopanou and I come from the sunny Greece. Until the age of 17 I was living in Athens when I moved to (the not so sunny) Scotland for my undergraduate degree. I studied Joint Economics and Economic & Social History at the University of Glasgow. I really enjoyed the course, especially the second part of my degree as the teaching staff was always very friendly and supportive. My first work abroad was at charity shops, which sell second hand clothing such as Oxfam and the British Hearth Foundation. Right after the completion of my degree I was holding the post of research assistant at the Centre of Planning and Economic Research in Greece where I was carrying out historical research regarding Greece’s public. Prior to the start of the GLOCAL programme I was working at the Scottish Government where I was the assistant private secretary of the Director General of Economy. This was an invaluable experience which taught me a lot about the workings of the Government as well as what it really meant to work for the portfolios of Ministers.
Interests:
I am very passionate about swing dance and I am an active member of the Glasgow Swing Dance Society and Glasgow Lindy Hoppers. I tend to spend most of my free time in vintage and swing parties for some ‘’boogie woogie’’. In Scotland I developed an interest in hiking which was an unheard hobby for me in Greece, where I spend my summer holidays near the sea. I love the Isle of Skye and the Queen’s View in Pitlochry. I can have endless philosophical conversations over good Scottish single malt and I do enjoy cooking enormous amount of food for friends!!
About GLOCAL:
I first learned about the GLOCAL programme from a survey for which I had to provide feedback regarding the design of a new degree and never had second thoughts in applying for it. What I really like about GLOCAL is that is multifaceted and not a rigid degree. GLOCAL is about courses in social sciences, about lots of reading and group discussions but is also about experiences. Experiences of people, creative and global cities, of companies and classmates that you get to know in person and not just from a boring textbook.