Alumni Story: Alexandra Petrakou – university strategist and Alumna of the Year
Alexandra Petrakou, Alumna of the Year at Linnaeus University, who are you?
“I am a happy, easy-going, result-oriented, and committed person who is passionate about development issues!”
Current workplace?
“Kalmar Municipality”
What do you do?
“I am a university strategist and work to develop the collaboration between Kalmar Municipality and Linnaeus University and to develop Kalmar as a university city”.
What did you study?
“First, I studied the information systems programme, earned a bachelor's and a master's degree, and then I earned a doctoral degree in human work science with specialisation in IT/interaction design. I studied how people from different organisations collaborate and how you can support their collaboration through, for instance, IT”.
What significance has your education had for your career?
“It has played a major role. Perhaps more so the overall university studies and everything relating to the education, rather than the individual courses. I had a teacher who was also the program coordinator for the information systems programme in Kalmar, Leif Marcusson, who really challenged his students to think deep and be creative. Among other things, parallel to the regular courses in informatics, programming, business, organisation, etc., we read fiction and analysed and wrote reports on these with links to current events. We learned a lot from this, but above all that the foundation for a systems scientist is to be able to gain an understanding of any subject, to understand the whole system and how everything is connected, rather than the details. I have had use for this throughout my career”.
You were named Alumna of the Year at Linnaeus University in 2022, why do you think you received that award?
“I am very happy to have received this award. Because it must mean that my work has been visible and meaningful for Linnaeus University! Which means I have done a very good job”.
What tips do you want to give current students for their careers?
- Make the most of your time as a student! Experience and engage in student life, experience and engage in everything that happens linked to your education
- Network and explore career paths within and outside the university. There is a lot happening in your university city, explore it!
- If you are engaged and involved, you will of course build your CV, but it is also a good way to establish contacts, within and outside the university, which can prove valuable in your career later.
Nominate for Alumnus/Alumna of the Year 2023
You can nominate for Alumnus/Alumna of the Year 2023 by emailing alumn@lnu.se. The Alumnus/Alumna of the Year 2023 will be awarded at the scholarship ceremony in Växjö on 8 December.