Zuzana Vikarská

In 2013, I received not only financial but, more importantly, personal support from the Zdenek Bakala Foundation, thanks to which I could start considering the idea that a simple girl from a small Slovak town could maybe one day study at a prestigious world university. I was born in the region of High Tatras in 1989, I graduated from a secondary school in Poprad, and I spent a year at the Williston Northampton School in the United States. Although I was always attracted to mathematics, music, and foreign languages, I decided to study at the Faculty of Law in Prague, in order to get to know the society we live in. I initially had some doubts, but I soon fell in love with law, mostly thanks to dedicated teachers who were willing to give their time and attention to students eager to dig a little deeper. Over the course of my studies, I gradually took a liking in EU law, which I understood best while studying at KU Leuven. My studies in Leuven showed me that legal profession is not only about studying norms, but much more about critical thinking, argumentation, and teamwork. After a great year of studies I decided to stay in Leuven to pursue PhD studies. However, this was not a good idea and the programme did not work well for me. Therefore, I decided to apply for a scholarship, at that point only “to try it out”, and thanks to the support I received from the Zdenek Bakala Foundation, I could decide whether my academic track would continue in Oxford or in Cambridge. I chose Oxford, where I studied legal philosophy and medical law (among other things) and where I spent wonderful two years of my life. Later on, I was pulled into the world of legal practice and I got a unique opportunity to join the team of legal advisers at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Slovak Republic, during the Slovak Presidency in the Council of the EU. Since January 2017 I moved back to Czechia, where I work as a lecturer at the Masaryk University in Brno, and also as a judicial assistant to Judge Katerina Simackova at the Czech Constitutional Court. I would like to encourage you all: do not be afraid to follow your dreams!