Luka Ivicevic ’15

How did you end up leaving the US for Paris? 

I was coming from New York City, thinking it was the greatest city in the world. Once I landed in Paris and came to AUP, I realized there was so much more than just NYC. Only once you experience a truly great city like Paris and a great community like AUP do you start to realize how much the world has to offer. AUP gave me that perspective from day one – and it’s only growing stronger nine years later. 

How did your time at AUP change you? 

When I came to AUP, I was curious to learn new things, to understand new perspectives, to gain new experiences and grow. I ended with a double major in politics, philosophy and economics (PPE) and computer science. Every day in Paris was a new learning experience, and with every experience I became less naive, more curious and hungrier. AUP ultimately helped me realize that I shouldn't aim at graduation, but rather through it, because life continues even as a big milestone ends. 

In your opinion, what is the most important global challenge today? 

The most important global challenge is us. We're our own biggest enemy. Global challenges are both created and solved by people. I'm not talking about overusing fossil fuels or going vegan; I'm talking about building and scaling our existing infrastructure to meet today's demands. Let’s take education: it's 2020 and we haven't scaled the global education system to work for everyone. It's in everyone's interest that 200 million 18-year-olds around the world get access to the best professors, regardless of their grades or economic situation. We haven't scaled global healthcare to give those in need access to medication and attention so they can help progress the world further. Our current ways of doing things simply won't work in the future. It's up to us to face those global challenges so that we can scale that crucial infrastructure.