Nela Riessová

I was born in Ostrava and spent my first four years in a grey, ten-storey apartment block with rainbow decoration. Having relocated to Frýdek-Místek, I started going to the four-year and eight-year Grammar School where I got to realize that being confined to Frýdek would not be enough for me. I interviewed with the Rotary Club and was sent to the US for a one-year internship.

Aside from travelling the entire East Coast, which was possible thanks to the extremely generous host family, I spent most of my time in Bedford, Pennsylvania. I participated in every extracurricular activity that could be expected of an exchange student. I was a not-so-successful member of the school basketball and cross-country teams, and a much more successful contributor to Hi-Lites, the school’s newspaper, as well as a French student in a class led by William Snyder, whom I hold to be the most fascinating teacher of all time. Since 2010, I have been studying Communication, Media and Culture at Oxford Brookes University in Oxford.

In all honesty, I have to say that, despite all the hard work associated with studying at Oxford, it’s the best place to study. Last week, I was admitted as a contributor for The Oxford Student, Oxford University’s newspaper, which is a great honor for me. Beginning with the next term, Michaelmas, I will act as the news reporter focusing on topics related primarily to culture. Maybe I should be scared, but it’s a challenge. Living here in my second year now, I confirm that this is the city of dreams. Picture this: riding an old bike with chipped paint to an Oxford library to read newspapers in the morning, and you’ll get the idea.

And then? A warm breeze, someone’s laughter in the distance, a piano melody from Queens College, the scent of coffee, a bicycle bell, students sitting in their windows … all rolled into one moment …

Secondary

2005-2009 Four-year and Eight-year Grammar School in Frýdek-Místek, Czech Republic

Tertiary

2010-2013 Oxford Brookes University, UK

Goals

Complete the Bachelor program successfully, complete a Master’s degree in Berlin, learn to play the piano, be fluent in at least three languages

Interests

Books, history of mental illness, art and culture scene in Berlin after 1989, multiculturalism, architecture, writing, classical and minimalist music, Jewish culture