Experience stories

Latvian entrepreneur Janis Lazdans brings innovation to cultural restoration by reviving Padure Manor through equity crowdfunding — the first public share heritage project in Latvia. He shows how communities can co-own and restore historic landmarks together.

Julián Núñez Castiñeyra⁠ is from Venezuela. In this podcast series, he shares his life story, from childhood to the present. He is one of the students in the Erasmus Mundus master’s degree program “⁠Service Design Strategies and Innovations⁠”.

Meet Ieva Putnina — diagnosed with Alopecia Areata at 12 years old. For years, she hid behind wigs and fear. But everything changed when she chose to embrace her true self.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

In this podcast series, she shares her life from childhood until now. She is one of the students in the Erasmus Mundus master’s degree program “⁠Service Design Strategies and Innovations⁠,” which leads her to experience different countries and study in a very diverse class.