Like millions around the world, CEU alumna Adrija Maitra (GENS ’19, India) felt helpless reading Covid-19 news every day. Finally, she had to do something. 

“I realized I must step out and take some sort of positive action,” she said. 

In April she answered a call from a Hungarian NGO. Soon she was volunteering in Budapest’s 8th District, delivering hot meals door to door, and putting up coronavirus prevention flyers in buildings throughout the district. 

When Covid-19 threw this academic year into a tailspin, many CEU students found themselves isolated in the dorm – and struggling to cope. Thesis writing, a struggle at the best of times, seemed all the more daunting. 

Enter: CEU alumni. Nearly 50 of them came to the rescue this spring and volunteered as “thesis buddies” – unofficial advisors focused on helping students complete their dissertations on time. (See volunteers list below.)