Anglo-American University in Prague Who’s new at AAU: Meet Viktoria Sponiar in Admissions!
Meet Viktoria Sponiar, the latest addition to the Admissions Team! As a Czech/Canadian, she spent a large amount of time in Canada where she earned her Bachelor’s degree in English. Viktoria also spent a lot of time traveling the globe: living for a year in New Zealand looking for hobbits and a year in Germany eating bratwurst. Finding herself continually drawn to Prague, she moved here to work in primary education before coming to AAU.
Why did you choose to live and work in Prague?
Well, one of the reasons is that my grandma lives in a small city outside of Prague and her homemade knedliky are probably the best thing in the world. She’s always feeding me all sorts of delicious Czech foods, so really, how could I pass up this opportunity? I used to spend many summers in the Czech Republic as a child but never usually in Prague. Once I was in University, I decided to come here for my semester abroad and just fell in love with the city and who I became while living here.
Why AAU?
I have always been drawn to the field of education. After spending several years teaching English to both adults and kids, as well as working various odd jobs, I realized my passion lies in helping others realize their potential and pursue their education. I love being surrounded by so much knowledge and so many brilliant people. AAU is an open-minded place where people can discover themselves and become the people they are meant to be and it is just so inspiring to work here.
What do you enjoy most about living in Prague?
I love that Prague is a city where everyone can find their place and their people- it’s so easy to fit in here and you’ll never be bored. There’s also always something going on in this city: whether it’s a concert; a theatre performance; or just a random street festival! Once the city gets to be a bit too much, you can hop on a train and 20 minutes later be surrounded by nature and some crazy rock formations to climb on!
What is your favorite memory?
Four winters ago, I was living in New Zealand and my mother came to visit for Christmas. Although it was summer in New Zealand, we decided to make it our mission to find some snow (Christmas without snow isn’t Christmas for a Canadian!). We hiked up a mountain in Aoraki Mount Cook National Park, home to New Zealand’s highest peak. We spent a grueling day climbing the steep ascent to a little red hut high up in the mountains where we would spend the night. And sure enough, in the last couple hundred meters, there was snow! So we spent Christmas Eve eating canned beans and sausages, surrounded by snow and mountains, drinking Becherovka. It was a Christmas to remember!
Lastly, do you have a quote that you live by?
“In a world where you can be anything, be kind.” – Caroline Flack. Although I am working in a university where some are aspiring diplomats, professors, and artists, I think it is important to remember that no matter what we end up doing with our lives or how much money we end up making, above all else, we are still all the same and what brings us together is kindness.