67 students from the European University Flensburg and the Flensburg University of Applied Sciences and their sponsors received the certificates of the Deutschlandstipendium today (10.10.2023). During a ceremony in the CUPRA LOUNGE on campus, sponsors and sponsored students were honored in the presence of guests in the evening.

A real difference

"This is an investment in the future of young people. It gives them the opportunity to study in peace and to establish a network with potential employers," said university president Dr. Christoph Jansen.University President Prof. Dr. Werner Reinhart expressly thanked the sponsors for their generosity: "It is an act of charity to help others when you can. In rich Germany, we quickly forget what a difference 300 euros a month can make. Whether they finish their studies with a better degree, can afford a dorm room, volunteer or continue their education, the Deutschlandstipendium makes a real difference for the scholarship holders. I would like to express my sincere thanks for that!"

Contributing to a better future

Norja Walther is studying for a bachelor's degree in "European Cultures and Society" at EUF. The scholarship recipient was connected from Nuuk, Greenland.

Private sponsors and the federal government jointly support talented students with a total of 300 euros per month as part of the Deutschlandstipendium program. Not only good grades are required, but also voluntary commitment.

One of them is Norja Walther. The 24-year-old is studying for a bachelor's degree in "European Cultures and Society" at the European University of Flensburg and has been a visiting student at Ilisimatusarfik - University of Greenland since August 2022. The scholarship gives her the opportunity to expand her volunteer activities and to further her political, cultural and linguistic education.

Norja Walther would also like to complete her master's degree in Greenland, as she is drawn to the region on the edge of Europe: "My vision is to make the Arctic, and Greenland in particular, the focus of my further academic and professional career. I am firmly convinced that this region will gain enormous importance in the future. With the colonial past in mind, my goal is to contribute to a better future and positive relations between the people of Europe and the Arctic region through what I have learned and experienced here."

Studying with a handicap

Friederike Grund is studying at Flensburg University of Applied Sciences. It was already clear to her as a schoolgirl that she wanted to study natural sciences. But it was just as clear to her that she would need a good command of English for research and at conferences. So she went to Ireland to attend a language school for six months, and worked as an au pair in the afternoons "to try out the language in everyday life," as she says. After that, she went to Australia for six months to work. Now she is studying biotechnology, food technology and process engineering with top grades. Her résumé is all the more impressive when you learn that she is deaf and studies with the help of cochlear implants - which is extremely strenuous in lectures or seminars with a lot of background noise and demands everything from her concentration.

Reception and exchange

In this way, special students were supported within the framework of the scholarship, for whom the scholarship opens doors and also makes studying with special challenges more feasible. After the presentation of certificates to scholarship holders and sponsors, the participants had the opportunity to get to know each other and exchange ideas at a reception.

The two EUF music students, Henry Mücke and Finn Sander, accompanied the evening musically with their guitar duo.