Where do you live?
Home for me is a small paradise in Latsia, near what we call a river – dry most of the year – but in my imagination, it flows like the rivers of Europe. Around it, we’ve planted tall trees, lemon blossoms, jasmine and herbs, creating a peaceful world filled with scents and shade.

What did you have for breakfast?
I start the day with espresso, always.

Describe your perfect day
A perfect day starts with the people I love most – my family. We gather around the breakfast table with strong coffee, simple food and time to talk without rushing. Then I move into creation mode with my extended Stemfreak family – a team of passionate, imaginative people who share my vision for changing education. Later in the day, I meet with our Cyprus Planetarium team to plan learning experiences that bring the universe closer to young minds. And then, as the sun goes down, the day gently shifts. I return to the veranda, where the evening belongs to friends.

Best book ever read?
The ones that truly changed me were the first books I read as a child and young adult. To Live, To Love and To Learn by Leo Buscaglia deeply marked me. His words became a quiet philosophy for my life. He taught me that emotional intelligence, kindness and learning are equally powerful forces.

Best childhood memory?
Riding my bike through the neighbourhood where everyone knew everyone. I felt completely free, safe and full of life. I spent whole days outside – climbing trees, playing in the dirt, eating fruit straight from the branches (sometimes unwashed… and yes, sometimes getting sick!).

What is always in your fridge?
A mix of ingredients for spontaneous cooking: fresh herbs, cheeses, sauces, colourful vegetables. I cook loudly – emotionally. Sometimes it’s a quiet dish, sometimes extravagant – depending on my mood.

What music are you listening to in the car at the moment?
Everything! Classic rock, 80s and 90s hits, pop ballads, even traditional Greek music.

What’s your spirit animal?
The swan – graceful, quiet, yet powerful.

What are you most proud of?
My two sons – and all the young people who have passed through the Stemfreak programme.

What movie scene has really stayed with you?
There are many, for different reasons. The English Patient stayed with me – the atmosphere, the desert, the photographs… it awakened my longing to travel the world and explore hidden places.

If you could pick anyone at all (alive or dead) to go out for the evening with, who would it be?
Isaac Newton, I think. Not just because of his scientific genius, but because I’d love to understand the inner world of someone who saw the universe so differently.

If you could time travel when/where would you go?
I wouldn’t choose just one place or era – I would want to live across all of them. I dream of experiencing every moment of the universe’s unfolding.

What is your greatest fear?
I fear the smallness we sometimes accept – the dark corners of the mind and heart that keep us from becoming what we are truly capable of.

What would you say to your 18-year-old self?
Prepare yourself – not just for the challenges ahead, but for the truth that you won’t be able to fix everything for everyone. You don’t need to carry the whole world to make a difference.

Name the one thing that would stop you dating someone
Negativity. I’m drawn to people who are grateful, curious and alive inside. That’s the kind of energy I want to be around.

If the world is ending in 24 hours, what would you do?
I would gather everyone I love – not out of fear, but out of deep gratitude. I’d cook something simple but full of taste and soul. There would be music playing. We’d sit together in the smells of my garden and let that living beauty hold us.

Visit the Stemfreak website at www.stemfreak.com and follow on Instagram (@stemfreak.cy) and LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/andri-vrioni)