Meet the Alumni Team
Senior Alumni
Jana Cox
Chairperson
Ireland/The Netherlands
My job is to lead the senior alumni committee, help them accomplish their tasks an coordinate all our meetings.
Profession - Assistant Professor
Joined CEI - 2008
Favorite CEI memory
Ceilidh in Scotland 2013 or online flashmob at CEI 2021
What have you learned as a CEI alumni?
How to work in an international setting on multidisciplinary sustainability issues
Samuel Thelaus
Technical Director
Sweden
Profession - Machine Learning Ops Engineer
Joined CEI - 2012
Favorite CEI memory
Coloring my hair with henna on the final night of CEI 2023 in Sweden
What have you learned as a CEI alumni?
That every year at every conference in every new host country, there are more lovely people who are excited and take action to make the world a more sustainable place
Laura Kelly (née Cox)
Board Liaison
Ireland
Profession
Assistant Manager Product Database & TTC Sustainability
Joined CEI - 1998
Favorite CEI memory
Hosting the CEI 2021 Conference, especially having former Irish president and Climate activist Mary Robinson open the conference
What have you learned as a CEI alumni?
How you can apply sustainability and what you learn at CEI Conferences in all realms of your life and in any career path you choose
Anel Spahic
Junior Alumni Coordinator
Sweden
Profession
Engineering Physics student
Joined CEI
2021
What have you learned as a CEI alumni?
How to communicate with people from different cultures as well as the importance and power of finding a common goal to work towards
Vanja Taseva
Social Media Coordinator
Macedonia
Profession
Software Engineering student
Joined CEI
2021
Favorite CEI memory
The cultural evening in Sweden Landskrona 2023 was breathtaking. Each country had a dance or song representing their homes as wonderful places filled with rich history, culture and nature.
Junior Alumni
Alma Skalic
Sweden
Profession
Chemical Engineering Student
Favorite CEI memory
Field trip to Ven in Sweden 2024
Ema Bogdanovska
Macedonia
Profession
Student at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information Technologies
Favorite CEI memory
Participating live and seeing how people from around the world think differently on solving the same environmental issues
Javier Vega Sandoval
Mexico
Profession
Bachelor’s Degree Graduate in Psychology
Favorite CEI memory
The cultural exchange in Austria, especially the cultural night. It was an amazing experience to learn so much and try things from other cultures and meet people from different backgrounds.
Maria Kavan
Sweden
Profession
Dental Hygiene Student
Favorite CEI memory
When I got to do Lucia during the Cultural Night in Indonesia 2023
Stefan Sivevski
Macedonia
Profession
Computer engineering student
Favorite CEI memory
Piñata party at CEI Mexico 2025
Madeline Painter
USA
Profession
Electrical Engineering and Economics Student
Favorite CEI memory
Getting tea every morning with the friends I made at CEI Indonesia 2023 when I went to my first in-person conference!
Joan Manuel Sarmiento Gomez
Mexico
Profession
Part time photographer
Favorite CEI memory
Rand Fouad Muhsin
Sweden
Profession
Medical Student
Favorite CEI memory
Joining CEI for a second time and having the chance to experience it again. An honorable mention: the bus rides between the accommodation and the school during CEI Mexico 2025.
National Alumni
Yiğitalp Kurum
Türkiye
Profession
Final year high school student
Favorite CEI memory
The field trip we took during the CEI Sweden conference. Seeing that magnificent nature, the clarity of the surroundings, and the purity of that deep blue sea captivated me. Without a doubt, the natural area I saw that day and the landscape photos I took form my fondest memories of this conference.
Ayşegül Şahin
Türkiye
Profession
Bioengineer
Favorite CEI memory
The colorful Midsommar celebration in Sweden, where Vanja and I led a flower crown workshop, as well as our visit to Ven Island, where I got to pet my favorite animals, alpacas. It was a day of inspiration, reminding me that every effort to sustain biodiversity truly matters.
Binnur Bilge Suzan
Türkiye/USA
Profession
Economics Student at UC Berkeley
Favorite CEI memory
A moment of me presenting on stage with a microphone in hand, representing Turkey.