Despina’s journey to Corpus came about after meeting with Cambridge University Professor Sir Alan Dashwood, whom she met whilst studying for her LLM at the University of Exeter.

At the time Professor Dashwood was about to become the Chair of European Law at Cambridge and he spoke to her about the growing prominence of European Law and the Centre of European Legal Studies that he was heading up. Having always dreamt of coming to Cambridge, Despina did not hesitate to apply to pursue a PhD in this field. She went on to become his first supervisee in his new role as the University’s inaugural Professor of European Law.

“For me it was Cambridge or nothing! I'll never forget the day I got accepted - the excitement, the joy and enthusiasm. Initially I thought, is it really something that is achievable? But once I became more involved in academic life, gaining more confidence in my orientation and capabilities, I knew it was the right choice”.

“Having grown up and spent my whole life in Greece, I couldn’t believe what a once in a lifetime opportunity it was when I arrived. It was an eye-opening experience that allowed me to see the world from a different perspective, and it reinforced my desire to pursue working for the future of Europe. At the same time, as a Greek I'm someone with a very sensitive eye to history and tradition, because we have a culture that's very much based on traditions; in Cambridge I found something that was extremely familiar.”

Despina fondly remembers Corpus being a very welcoming, open-minded, social college, with a long history. “At the time there were a lot of Eurosceptic ideas flying around, but at Corpus I felt welcomed because of my diversity. I loved that it was a small college, it felt like a family where you knew everybody. Everyone at Corpus was so positive and encouraging. I will never forget Corpus and what it did for me, there was a lot of humility, high values and a great drive.”

She was particularly enamoured by Leckhampton, having a unique college environment for postgraduate students, with its own history. “I am grateful for the support that Leckhampton gave to my studies: it was my shelter and it also offered me a sense of belonging to a community. I made great friends there and have fond memories of my time in Leckhampton House, which I was privileged to be a resident of!”

After completing her studies, Despina took an internship at the European Courts of Justice, followed by a number of years of practice at a large US law firm in Brussels, before securing an opportunity to join the European Union at management level.

“From there on, I had found my purpose in life, because I don't consider what I do a job: I work for the world, for the public good. And this is part of my life. This is very much the thinking of a lot of people who work here in institutions. We left our homes and countries to come here to work for projects. We didn't come just for a job.”

Despina has recently celebrated 20 years at the European Commission where she has risen through the ranks, taking on senior roles in health, consumer policy and justice as well as digital society and cyber security, before moving to her current role in 2019 as Head of Cabinet.

Having benefited from financial support to travel to Europe during her studies, Despina is keen to give something back to the College community and has recently supported a fellow Corpuscle in their travel costs to visit the European Commission. “It is a small contribution to a fellow Corpuscle, as I will never forget how much the College supported me in every possible sense while I was there”