Team 2022 - 2023
Francis Urciullo (They/Them)
Internal Resource Coordinator & Blog Coordinator
Francis was born and raised in south Italy. Before moving to The Netherlands in 2018 to study English Language & Culture, they lived in Denmark as an exchange student. In both scenarios, they were confronted with the injustices of the Northern European arrogance towards Southern cultures. Since living in Groningen, Francis has been an active watcher and experienced the institutionalized bias and racism towards minorities in Dutch higher education. With SCDAI, they want to engage actively in the discourse and support the team’s advocacy for underrepresented students and minorities.
Alex Alexandrova (she/her)
Resources & External Communication
Meet Alex. Born and mostly raised in Bulgaria, Alex comes from a family line of Sephardic Jews, and in her teens got involved in her Jewish community in Sofia, where she became part of a youth movement involved in the upkeep of the local community and the wider Jewish diaspora. Living in a country that faces a multitude of social issues, as well as her family and the movement, inspired her to develop a passion for social work, activism, and advocacy. The latter two came during her years in Groningen, where she recently graduated with the International Communication BA. She currently continues her Master's in Media, Power, and Difference in Barcelona, Catalonia.
Ekin Yıldıran-Schoepe (she/her)
Research Coordinator
Born and raised in Turkey, Ekin moved to Germany to pursue a master's degree in Sociology. There she grew an academic interest in transnationality, university politics, and social boundaries in Higher Education (HE). She was involved in various interdisciplinary HE projects with topics ranging from knowledge production, and privatization of universities to responsible research and innovation. She currently resides in Groningen. With her activism at SCDAI, she strives to put her theoretical knowledge into action in a way that actively contributes to the well-being of students, communities, and society.
Emilia Dimitrov (she/her)
Lobbying & Networking Coordinator
Emilia is originally from a little town in western Germany with roots in Bulgaria. Growing up with this multicultural influence and living in different countries throughout her youth, thought her from an early age about the significant differences and injustices in other cultures and countries as well as in Germany. In 2020, she moved to Groningen to start her studies in International Communications. Since living in here, Emilia has learned a lot about the institutionalized exclusion of marginalized minority groups through SCDAI. Being a student of higher education herself, she wants to support the team by spreading their message.
Siri Maringanti (she/her)
Research Coordinator
Siri (she/her) is an Indian, Undergraduate Economics student here in Groningen. As an Economics student, she noticed. As an Indian, brown woman in the white-dominated Netherlands, she had unfortunately found herself in multiple situations where her race and her gender were used against her in conflict (sometimes with a lot of verbal violence). She learned about the importance of looking at varying degrees of oppression that exist and the various difference approaches through which they need to be addressed. She hopes to learn and unlearn about this oppression through activism and research
Team 2022
Alex Alexandrova (she/her)
Resources & External Communication
Meet Alex. Born and mostly raised in Bulgaria, Alex comes from a family line of Sephardic Jews, and in her teens got involved in her Jewish community in Sofia, where she became part of a youth movement involved in the upkeep of the local community and the wider Jewish diaspora. Living in a country that faces a multitude of social issues, as well as her family and the movement, inspired her to develop a passion for social work, activism, and advocacy. The latter two came during her years in Groningen, where she recently graduated with the International Communication BA. She currently continues her Master's in Media, Power, and Difference in Barcelona, Catalonia.
Genesis Saragoza (she/her)
Social Media Coordinator
Genesis was born and raised in Bonaire with roots in the Dominican Republic. When she moved to the Netherlands for her studies, she found herself confronted with a great deal of racism and discrimination. She joined SCDAI to advocate against the institutionalized exclusion of marginalized minority groups, but also to help create a safer space for learning and growth for herself and her peers.
Walphana Peterson (she/her)
Research Assistant
Walphana is a student of International Communication, born in Haiti and raised on the little island of Aruba. Coming from a diverse background and being subjugated to issues of race, immigration, and gender fueled her to become more aware of diversity issues. Now, more than ever, she is committed to lending a voice to those forced to be silenced.
Ekin Yıldıran-Schoepe (she/her)
Research Coordinator
Born and raised in Turkey, Ekin moved to Germany to pursue a master's degree in Sociology. There she grew an academic interest in transnationality, university politics, and social boundaries in Higher Education (HE). She was involved in various interdisciplinary HE projects with topics ranging from knowledge production, and privatization of universities to responsible research and innovation. She currently resides in Groningen. With her activism at SCDAI, she strives to put her theoretical knowledge into action in a way that actively contributes to the well-being of students, communities, and society.
Emilia Dimitrov (she/her)
Lobbying & Networking Coordinator
Emilia is originally from a little town in western Germany with roots in Bulgaria. Growing up with this multicultural influence and living in different countries throughout her youth, thought her from an early age about the significant differences and injustices in other cultures and countries as well as in Germany. In 2020, she moved to Groningen to start her studies in International Communications. Since living in here, Emilia has learned a lot about the institutionalized exclusion of marginalized minority groups through SCDAI. Being a student of higher education herself, she wants to support the team by spreading their message.
Talea Korfé (she/her)
Human Resources
Talea was born and raised in Germany. She is a queer woman who grew up in a multicultural family with roots in Hungary. Talea has been engaged in social work since a very young age and her passion for it only grew over the years. She is committed to creating an equitable learning environment within the higher education sector by advocating for systemic educational change.
