She likes challenges rather than money. When her studies are completed she wants to return to Albania and try to make a difference.– ‘Sustainability’ is a word seldom heard in my country. Most people do not know what it means. So I see a large potential for improvement.
Anisa Çoniku says there is a lot to be learned from Sweden when it comes to environmental friendly solutions, since the subject is well established here, not only as a science but also in the hearts and minds of the people.
– The Swedish philosophy of ‘lagom’ is kind of sustainable, I think.
It was a scholarship from the Swedish Institute that gave her the opportunity to attend the Sustainable Energy Systems-programme at Chalmers, after her master's degree in Chemical Engineering. A professor of hers encouraged her along the way, and said that if she really wanted things to change in her country, she should take the chance to go to Sweden. And so far she thinks I was a good decision, and that her studies are going just fine.
– I used to study chemical engineering in Turkey and I see a huge difference in teaching methods. At the current programme less time is spent on theory and there is more focus on practical applications. It makes it both easier to learn and more relevant for me who wants to know more about real life examples.
Even though the cultural differences between her hometown Gramsh and Gothenburg are huge, she says she likes it here and that she enjoys learning new things about the organized Swedish society.
– The only proof of identification that I own, is the passport I used when I travelled to Sweden, for example. The process of introducing a proper ID-card system started only a few months ago and the national registration of people is still very primitive and inaccurate. So you can see there is a lot of work to be done in order to build a fully functioning society. Sustainable energy systems are a bit further down the list, but I chose to se the possibilities.
Name: Anisa Çoniku
Master's Programme: Sustainable Energy Systems
Age: 25
From: Gramsh in Albania