Seleni Spotlight: Nefeli Kommata
May 2021 - Seleni was pleased to welcome Nefeli Kommata as a Communications and Outreach Intern in February 2021. She has been wonderful addition to our team!
Tell us about yourself.
I’m from Greece, from a beautiful city in the north called Thessaloniki, but currently I’m enjoying living in Athens for a couple of months before I hopefully head off to Amsterdam to begin a Master’s degree in Marketing and Communications. My passion is creative writing and I’d love to follow a career that combines creativity with business. Until then I write short stories, poems and to-do lists. If I had to choose one word to describe myself I’d choose “exuberant,” and if I had a super power I’d make everyone stress-free.
What excites you most about being part of the Seleni family?
I’ve felt connected with Seleni both personally and professionally. Seleni Institute is doing such incredible work and in case you are familiar with mental health issues, there is no other way than feeling proud and honored to support its cause. The moment you realize that you’re part of a team that deeply supports women and families, then every day at work has a purpose.
The Seleni family has been heartwarming since day one. It’s an almost all female group with hardworking, passionate, and driven ladies that manage to inspire me every single day. I’m so grateful for having the chance to do my first business steps next to them and work daily with strong and healthy role models.
How do you practice self-care?
After numerous discussions about self-care, I’ve come to realize that it is way tougher than we think. We are the hardest judges of ourselves and we forget to pat our backs every now and then and acknowledge all the hard effort we are making. The last couple of years I have established a custom; the night before my birthday I write down all the things I’ve done during the last year that made me genuinely proud. It could be achieving a job position or succeeding in a new recipe, but they are all big or small things that made me feel confident and proud. Whenever I feel down, I run through the list and I remember that I’m also capable of great things. And sometimes, comforting your own self, somehow, matters the most.
What is your favorite thing to do to wind down the day?
I find myself the most relaxed when being around my favorite people. There is something magical about enjoying good company and why not? Some nice food and drinks too. The light conversation, the laughs and the freedom to express all you have in mind can take all the burdens off your shoulders, and these few people can always ground you and decompress you. To me, it always feels like I’ve closed all the open tabs in my computer.
What is the best piece of advice you have ever received?
During one of my mentor talks with Nela, the Programs Director at Seleni, we were talking about her beautiful daughters and that they were encouraged to practice sports. Nela suddenly shared something that has since been eye-opening: “It’s really healthy to practice group sports because in doing so, you realize that you cannot always win. Even if you do your very best, even if you give it all. Sometimes it’s not just in your hands to decide.” I’ve recently struggled with the concept of failure and that conversation helped me re-evaluate a lot. It’s important to fight for your goals, but it’s also vital to come to terms with the idea that not everything depends on you and that’s ok. We tend to be so hard on ourselves and this concept can be really relieving.
What quote inspires you?
I’m not ashamed to say that I’m a huge Disney fan and my favorite animation movie is Hercules (nothing to do with my Greek roots; it’s more about chasing your purpose and dreams and fighting for the people you love). In the movie you hear the song “I Will Find My Way, I Can Go the Distance” and that is actually a quote I try to live by. Life is unpredictable and struggles can never be avoided, but I think that the most important thing is to keep fighting no matter what. The pandemic has also helped us realize that you can never be sure about anything, not even what might happen tomorrow. We cannot give up but rather keep trying to go the distance.
