My name is Monika Salzmann and I’m happy to be able to introduce myself as a scholarship student of the Germany bursary, if only for a little longer. I am about to finish my sixth semester on the degree course entitled “Tourism & Travel Management” and as such, I will shortly be leaving the Hochschule Worms. I am even happier to be able to call the Alumni-Club Worms e.V. my sponsor. The club enables graduates from the Hochschule Worms to stay connected to the Hochschule, even after their studies.
After leaving high school and before starting my degree at the Hochschule Worms, I had first opted to follow a course in tourism for business and private travel. The course gave me the opportunity to gain a deeper insight into the structure of the tourism sector and made me want to expand my knowledge even further. And so, after having completed my course in tourism, I took the plunge and started a degree. Pursuing a degree isn’t commonplace in my family, and as such this decision was also a step into the unknown - I couldn’t ask my parents for advice, nor could I draw on their experiences. There was also the question of the financial burden and I wondered whether I was doing the right thing, as I was ultimately giving up a full-time job in order to enhance my knowledge instead. When I received confirmation that I would be the holder of the Germany bursary, this also confirmed that my decision to continue studying had been the right one and that it is possible to achieve great things even without an academic background. Furthermore, the bursary means that I can fully concentrate on my studies, without having to spend every spare minute I have working part-time. Rather, I have the opportunity to use my extra time to improve my Russian and in doing so, I can discover a little more about my mother’s background and culture. I also have the time to take part in extra seminars at the Hochschule.
I would like to express my warmest gratitude to the Alumni-Club Worms e.V. for the bursary once again. I would also like to encourage other students to apply for the Germany bursary. Receiving the bursary gives you extraordinary recognition for your actions, as well as a tremendous amount of motivation to take on new challenges, take part in extracurricular activities and as such, broaden your horizons.
Text: Monika Salzmann, March 2018