Editor-in-Chief: Joanna Sowińska
Hi, my name is Joanna and I am a student of the MSc Political Science. Writing has been a passion for me from an early age. It started off with writing short novels for my parents and some contributions to my school journal during my primary education. However, bigger projects such as joining Sphaera began in 2019. I joined my first writing session with Sphaera as a spontaneous decision, and immediately clicked with the community. I then saw an amazing chance to put my knowledge into practice and share my thoughts on topics that are close to my heart. This is why I firstly became a writer, and then an editor, as I also wanted to help my peers to get the best out of their writing. The multiplicity and depth of different interests and articles always fascinated me – and is something I particularly value Sphaera for: Knowledge never decreases when being shared. But knowledge is not only about writing. Accordingly, an amazing feature of Sphaera is that it also provides a lot of space for creativity, and notably in terms of illustration. And I promise you that with the incredible illustrators of Sphaera, you’ll never be disappointed !
With this short intro, I am very delighted to become the new Editor-in-Chief of Sphaera Magazine. It is a challenge, but with the dynamic and solution-oriented aspect of my personality, I never step out of challenges and always give my best to achieve my objectives. This is why I look forward to strengthening our community by being open to new ideas and listening to the needs and preferences of Sphaeranians. I know that Sphaera has a great potential to expand and will have many opportunities to learn and improve. Nevertheless, if Sphaera is what it is today, it is only thanks to the patience and hard work of previous boards. Developing a magazine from scratch is a very brave and ambitious project. With a lot of respect to the time and effort that were spent in expanding Sphaera magazine, I hope to also bring significant contribution to this process. I am thus extremely proud and confident in all our contributors, whether it is in terms of management, coordination, writing, editing and illustrating. Thanks to all of you !
Head of Administration: Margaux Marzuoli
Hi! My name is Margaux and I am a student in the BSc Political Science: International Relations and Organisations. I am French, but I grew up in Portugal, studying in international schools. Being surrounded by many different cultures made me very confused about who I was while growing up. This need to figure out who I was shaped my interest in politics and made me start writing. Indeed, writing allowed me to reflect, and awoke my passion for Journalism which allowed me to make sense of the world around me.
When I first contacted Sphaera Magazine to apply as a writer for the newspaper, I wrote about my aspirations to become a journalist. Being involved with the Magazine – working on my writing skills, learning from the experience of editors and illustrators, understanding how to apprehend deadlines – has helped me come a little bit closer to this dream of mine. I am looking forward to continuing this journey as a writer and a member of Sphaera Magazine’s new board.
As Head of Administration, my job will be to ensure the continuity of the Magazine’s practical functions. As a member of the board, my goal is to contribute to the expansion of Sphaera Magazine’s capacities and reach, so that more writers, editors and illustrators can explore their talents and interests.
Head of Submissions: Uilson Jones
Hi, I’m Uilson, a second year International Relations and Organizations student and an aspiring writer. Back when I first started getting into writing I often found the whole process of writing, self-editing and proofreading to be rather overwhelming. This tends to happen with fledgling writers as we try and figure out both the holistic and tedious elements of the writing process. However, throughout my tenure in Sphaera as a writer, I managed to expand and develop my writing style to a greater extent. Today I am excited to announce that I will be joining the Board of Sphaera as the new Head of Submissions. I was drawn to Sphaera Magazine due to its emphasis on student participation. Sphaera is a thoroughly student-created and student-led magazine which allows both writers and illustrators to express themselves freely. This has led to a variety of different article topics due to the international nature of the magazine. With this in mind, I feel confident that Sphaera will remain the magazine that allows and facilitates students to flourish and develop their skills, whether it be in writing, editing, or illustrating. I look forward to working together with all contributors and seeing what we can achieve.
Head of Activities & Partnerships: Teun van Dieten
Hi! I’m Teun, student in the BSc Political Science: IRO and the incoming Head of Activities and Partnerships. Language (especially the English one) and critical reading in general have been passions of mine for as long as I can remember, sparking me to apply for the position of Editor in the Sphaera team last year. I’ve so far greatly enjoyed the positive and cooperative atmosphere exhibited in the publishing process, as well as the wide variety of topics and styles.
Sadly, due to the pandemic, it has been very hard to build a greater sense of community and cohesion in the Sphaera team. I’ll be working in the coming year to organise events to facilitate Writers, Editors & Illustrators to get to know each other better. I’ll also be seeking to create and maintain partnerships to expand our scope.
I hope to meet many of you throughout this upcoming year! And if you have any ideas for events that you’d like to see organised, hit me up 🙂
Creative Director: Hannah Vonberg
Hi! I’m Hannah, a 3rd year student in the BSc Political Science: IRO, and the Creative Director of Sphaera for the next year.
For me, writing is a unique medium. It allows us to pass on information but it may also convey emotions. As such, words have fascinated me since I was a small child, barely able to read. Writing by myself, and later for school and university, has allowed me to express things that are difficult to express otherwise. The creative process is meditative in a way, and helps channel information and emotions. It also allows me to connect with people, discuss ideas and make friends quickly among the many nice and witty individuals that make Sphaera what it is today. The idea of connection also applies to visual media, which my new position is all about: Colour schemes, images and illustrations create associations in our brains. Visuals thereby support our writing in forming connections among people – a very special way of communication.
With this focus on communication, Sphaera provides an open and caring community that allowed me to progress as a writer as well as advancing personally. I want to give back to this community and enable other people to access the same safe space and creative freedom that was given to me.
I’m excited to work together with the other members of the new board as well as with every single one of you! Let’s make the most of this time with new goals while keeping alive the core values of inclusivity and team spirit at Sphaera!