Experience stories

In this Stories from the North episode, meet Carolina Vaz-Pires from Portugal, whose passion for education and travel has taken her across Europe. Host Linda Paulauska explores Carolina’s inspiring journey through the Erasmus Mundus Joint Master’s program, spanning Latvia, Finland, and Estonia.

Timea Izsak⁠ is from Rumania. In this podcast series, she takes us through the story of her life, from her early years to where she is now. As a participant in the Erasmus Mundus master’s degree program “⁠Service Design Strategies and Innovations⁠”.

While facing challenges in orphanages and foster care, Arina dreamt of a loving family. As she grew older, believing no one wanted to adopt a teenager, her dream faded. Suddenly, at 15, she met a loving family through international adoption and moved from Latvia to Texas, USA.

Giving lectures on creating human-centric solutions—providing frameworks and methods to ensure teams design meaningful projects that truly serve people and foster positive change.

An orphaned girl with Down Syndrome was offered for adoption to 127 families, all of whom declined. The girl’s story deeply touched the Wimmer family, leading them to embark on international adoption before even seeing a photo of the child.

Katie Leatherwood transforms lives with prosthetic solutions, helping individuals who’ve lost limbs. From Texas to the global stage, she’s currently making a significant impact in Latvia and aiding Ukraine.

Discover Judy’s inspiring journey from Thailand to the Arctic in the latest episode of Stories from the North. Host Linda Paulauska delves into Judy’s experiences as an Erasmus Mundus student at the University of Lapland, exploring cultural contrasts, personal growth, and life in Lapland. Don’t miss this uplifting story of resilience and transformation.

My passion for bringing people together and fostering cultural exchange led to launching the ‘Local Buddies’ program, connecting Erasmus Mundus students with local residents.

Kiwoong Nam shares his inspiring move from South Korea to Rovaniemi - Finland’s Northern city, and his story of adjusting to Arctic life with his family.

With the help of a sperm donor, a couple was able to conceive a baby after years of infertility. This is the long-awaited child Emma and her story from the perspective of a donor-conceived child.