From Zero to Hero: Founding GDSC Harokopio University of Athens
Hello! I am Panagis Sarantos and this is the story of how the GDSC program and Harokopio University of Athens met each other for the first time — and it was quite a journey!
It all started in the summer of 2021 when I was chosen as Lead. It all happened thanks to Angelika Zaucha, community manager for the GDSC program in Europe.
Here’s an interesting story!
It was the summer of 2021. I was hanging out with my friends on a nice evening in the beautiful city of Athens in Neo Iraklio. While we were talking about our summer plans, I got a notification about a new email. I looked it up and saw the name “Angelika Zaucha” for the first time. She reached me via her personal email to ask me if I would accept the lead position because it was the last day to do that, and they did not get the response from my side.
I was positively surprised. I rushed out and found all the other emails that had gone to the spam folder. I finalized the paperwork and became the GDSC Lead & Founder of Harokopio University of Athens (GDSC HUA).
So… Thank you, Angelika!
First Steps — Establishing our chapter
First task, of course, was to form our Core Team. As a student of software engineering, I knew I could reach many developers and people in tech. But I also knew that our Club will need others to help with communications, planning and social media. After making my choice, I came up with these few useful tips on selecting core team members:
- You sure need diversity and people with different expertise, but you may want to focus on those who are willing to contribute.
- Always ask the person about their daily schedule. If they work 3 jobs while also studying, how are they going to find time to help the chapter?
- Close friends and colleagues aren’t always the best candidates, always make sure they actually have the time, space and skills to contribute.
- Make sure to include non-developers in the Core Team. They are needed more than you think.
I have to say that I didn’t follow all the steps that I mentioned above, but now I know better and you should too.
It’s also important to establish a good relationship with your university and the faculty. Introduce yourself and the program to the authorities. We managed to do it, and our university fully supported all our plans and initiatives. At times it was difficult because of the pandemic, but we managed to overcome any obstacles. For example we managed to do a virtual event about AI & Blockchain for more than 260 unique viewers!
260 Unique Viewers — First Virtual Event
Yes, that’s right. Our first virtual event themed as “Applications of AI & Blockchain in Society & Industry” managed to hit more than 260 unique viewers.
I have to tell you that I was really nervous at the beginning. We were live streaming on YouTube, Twitch and other platforms. We had guests from the industry and academia. It was quite a big hit and a pretty good experience for me personally as I got to work on my communication and public speaking skills. I’m always nervous making speeches, especially in front of a big audience. This time, I managed to overcome my fears and really learn a lot.
Top 10 — Solution Challenge — Bloodcall
Solution Challenge, organized yearly by Google Developer Student Clubs, was something I knew I wanted to join right from the start, either by myself or with other members of our chapter.
I felt that rush of excitement when I was watching the Top 10 chapters of 2021. I loved the idea of making a positive impact on the target group or the society in general.
We joined the competition as a team and worked hard on our solution. And we did it! Our team called “Bloodcall” got to the Top 10 Finalists of Solution Challenge 2022! It was amazing when we heard the news. Who would have thought, first year of GDSC HUA and we managed to have such a strong representation competing with so many other chapters across the world. Also for the record, we were the only Greek chapter to the Top 10, even the Top 50!
Priceless Experience
What a journey we had! GDSC was a fun and enriching experience from many different aspects:
- Developing soft skills
- Motive to excel in coding
- Contributing to something bigger and trying to make an impact on your campus
- Networking
- Organizing skills (especially for the Lead)
I have to say that if you have the time during your time at the university, you should join the program, even if it seems hard at first glance — trust me, the experience is priceless.
That was the journey of GDSC HUA on how it was founded and how we did in the first year of our existence. And the journey continues to the present — with new faces, fresh ideas and 2 co-leads. GDSC HUA is still active on campus and in the program. Pretty cool!
Special mentions
From my end, I want to thank all the members of the first core team for the amazing job we did for the chapter while also doing our best as students.
Thanks: Manos, Mitsos, Thanos, Nikos, Thanasis, Alexandra, Petros and again Thanos!
I want to thank Harokopio University of Athens for a great cooperation and support.
Special thank you goes to our Rector Mrs. Mara Nikolaidou and our Department Head Mr. Thomas Kamalakis.
Lastly I want to congratulate and thank again the Bloodcall team for the amazing job they did. Thank you: Thanasis, George, Stefanos and George.
