A selection of short feel-good stories from Slovakia.
Community Manager
Amid the usual stream of gloomy headlines, The Slovak Spectator brings you a selection of three stories from across Slovakia with a positive twist.
Twenty-year-old Anna Podmanická from Žilina has become the first person from Slovakia to be accepted onto the world’s first bachelor’s programme in quantum engineering, at the University of New South Wales in Sydney. There is just one catch. She has eight weeks to raise €60,000 to cover her first year of study. Without proof that the tuition is paid, she will not receive her Australian student visa—despite already having been accepted by the university.
Anna has already made waves in the science world. She helped develop technology to remove antibiotics and pharmaceutical residues from wastewater, becoming one of the winners of The Earth Prize 2025, and later received major awards at international science competitions. Now she wants to turn her attention to quantum technology, which could transform everything from environmental monitoring and medical diagnostics to data security. She plans to return to Slovakia after her studies and bring her expertise home. If you would like to help the first Slovak student take this extraordinary step, you can support Anna’s journey through her fundraiser on Donio.
