Without a doubt, the National Technical University of Athens was a life-defining experience for me.

Although from a very young age I knew what I wanted to do in life and my inclination towards the technical field was clear, NTUA was the one that guided me, took me by the hand and showed me the way.

At its core, it taught me how to think and to understand that in life, just as in the logical flow diagrams of programs, there are no infinite loops or dead ends — as long as we design them properly.

The truth is that I was not the best student. Nevertheless, within the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering I had the opportunity to “wander”, to see and learn many things, and to acquire tools that ultimately helped me see the bigger picture.
Because in my subsequent career I did not do just one thing. I started by writing code and earned my first income that way; returning to my hometown I did something less directly related — namely building electromechanical studies — and along the way I capitalised on the boom in renewable energy sources, even though I had not specialised in that area, but I had the background to support it.

And of course I became involved in public affairs, where the ability to analyse problems and make decisions quickly was also decisive. It is like being on a construction site and having to provide an immediate solution, because the crews are waiting!

That is what the National Technical University of Athens is, and for all the above reasons I have never regretted for a single second in my life that I put it as my first choice on my university application. It is not only the knowledge, it is not only the acquaintances made with fellow students and professors, it is not only a way of thinking and of living.

It is all of the above together!