A top swimmer on life “outside of the pool”
Charles University student Ondřej Gemov spends a lot of time in the pool: “I haven’t left the water since I was six months old,” he jokes. Recent years have seen him clinch medals and spots on the podium. At 22, Gemov is one of the Czech Republic’s most promising swimming talents. When he has time, he follows fashion and Czech rap.
Students reflect on pandemic year
The last year-and-a-half brought many changes and challenges for the education sector, given little choice but to adapt - as quickly and effectively as possible. Many enrolled at Charles University reassessed their aims with new vigour. Tracy Okine writes about two foreign students who took stock of the situation and persevered.
Four wheels, one (long)board
Over the last few years, more and more young people in the Czech Republic have taken up longboarding, a hobby and sport related to skateboarding but different in many respects. Longboards, as the name suggests, utilise a longer deck but feel very different, offering a more stable ride on softer polyurethane wheels.
Destination: Prague – A Fulbright scholar's journey
Tracy Okine, an American Ph.D. student and Fulbright scholar, began her scientific and cultural exchange in the Czech Republic in January of this year, in the midst of the third wave. In Forum, she writes about what inspired her to conduct research in Prague.
Studying in Australia was an adventure!
Karolína Bartošová is a student at Charles University who was accepted for a six-month internship at Australia's Macquarie University. She had a fabulous time and told Forum not only about what studying there was like but also about travel and adventures in the Australian outback.
Three brothers, one sport, one berth at the Olympics
Three brothers, all slalom canoeists; two have competed for the Czech Republic. That's the Hegers. Vojtěch, the middle brother, clinched a spot in canoe slalom for the Czech Republic in the upcoming Olympics. But he won’t be heading to Tokyo this summer.
Sci-fi: A sandbox for daring new ideas
“Have you ever imagined what life would be like if it evolved in a cold ocean beneath an impenetrable shell of ice, or on a world whose haze obscured the universe beyond?” That is a question posed by members of EAI such as Julie Nováková, a biologist and PhD student at Charles University, launching a campaign to publish a new sci-fi anthology.
Diabetes is the reason I am a professional cyclist
Václav Šňupárek is a Master’s student at the Faculty of Physical Education and Sport who competed in many sports before becoming a professional cyclist. He is a member of Team Novo Nordisk, a team unlike any other whose athletes all have Type-1 diabetes.
A med student making a difference in Uganda
Even as a little girl she dreamed of being a doctor one day and later admired the organisation Doctors without Borders. Now, med student Markéta Malecová is a few months away from completing her studies and becoming a doctor herself. She has already made an impact, helping children at a very special hospital in Uganda.
Clear masks are essential
The idea to sew face masks came to her long before they were widely needed during the pandemic: Faculty of Arts student Kristýna Šimralová attended a lecture on opportunities for the Deaf, showing how even tough barriers can be overcome. She opted to make face masks with a clear window, which make it easier to read lips.
Makeup at the starting line, mud at the finish
In her third year at the Faculty of Education, Tereza Neumanová is a woman of contrasts: someone who lives for the bike but also hopes to teach one day. Who has no qualms about grinding through the mud but carefully applies makeup before every race.
I live for hockey but it’s important to have a backup plan
CU student and Slavia Prague hockey player Jaroslav Brož had never had such a long break: not until the outbreak of Covid-19. As the country locked down in March, no one knew what would come next.
Swimmer Lenka Štěrbová – From the English Channel to medicine
Lenka Štěrbová began swimming when she was four; 12 years later, she became the youngest Czech to swim the English Channel. Today, she dreams of taking on the Channel again but just a little later in her sports career. This time there and back.
Kubová: the pandemic prolonged my swimming career
Originally, Charles University’s Simona Kubová had hoped to be competing this summer for her first Olympic medal in Tokyo. The coronavirus pandemic, however, saw an end to that.
At the top of her game: field hockey and medicine
Originally, she wanted to be a ballerina but 24-year-old Lucie Ledvinová, a fifth-year student at CU’s First Faculty of Medicine, choose field hockey cleats over pointe shoes. Ledvinová, who is with the top flight club SK Slavia Prague, has been playing the game since she was a pre-schooler.
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FORUM EN10 1/2021
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Forum 55 3/2021
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