Happy Holidays and Updates from Alumni Board
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2015!
Dear Alumni,
We look back upon a challenging year, for our alma mater, as well as our Alumni Association. With recent changes and developments, we can look forward to the New Year with new confidence and strength.
Your newly elected representatives bring an impressive skill set and creative fresh energy to the existing Alumni Board. We used our first meeting in Berlin to align and push new and existing projects to have as much as possible to show for in 2015.
On behalf of the entire board, I would like to thank all those alumni and friends that have given their support over the past months. Be it the Alumni Consulting and Fees Initiative, the web-team, Alumni Chapter Leaders & members, Class Reps, reunion organisers or bloggers – you made all the difference!
I hope you enjoy the rest of this pre-New Year’s mini-newsletter and would like to wish you Happy Holidays and a fantastic start into the New Year 2015.
With Warm Wishes from Bremen,
Peter Dabrowski,
President of the
Jacobs University Bremen Alumni Association
Joint efforts in Berlin – Alumni Board Meeting
Regardless of how cold Berlin had been on the weekend of the 13th-14th of December – a very warm atmosphere during the current Alumni Board’s meeting in its new constellation helped them focus on their diverse tasks.
In true Jacobs spirit, Alina Degtiarova, Class of 2013 and new Assessor responsible for PR and Communications, showed special commitment: Alina, currently in Kiev, joined the entire meeting virtually through video-call.
Generation Fund
After a short round of introductions, the Board members listened to the presentation of Shinta Harsana (´2010), Participant in the Alumni Change Initiative, and Elena Isac (´2011), newly elected Assessor to the Board, responsible for Special Projects. They presented the Generation Fund concept, which aims at replacing the Alumni Scholarships. The ensuing debate made clear how vital sustainable solutions are to financial support of current Jacobs students from the side of our Alumni. Once the details surrounding the Generation Fund are all set, we will soon hear more about this endeavour.
Alumni Office
Given that Kirsten Mussel took over Imke Sonnenbergs position as an interim substitute, President Peter Dabrowski (´2004) explained how the structure of the future Alumni Office at Jacobs University Bremen is currently in its design process. Respective measures to will be on their way soon, with the Alumni Board’s involvement affirmed.
AlmaLink
Vice President Daniel Garcia and Secretary Stefan Anca shared their IT-expertise with a presentation of suggestions on how to continue improving the platform. We are looking forward to further working on providing great services to our Alumni through the joint platform that we have and will keep you up to date regarding new features in the near future.
Finances and Fees
President Peter Dabrowski (´2004) and Treasurer Suna Turhan (´2010) tackle the operational aspects of the future introduction of fees, which had been decided upon in past General Assemblies. The acknowledgement of our Association as “non-profit” will hopefully reach us soon, so that respective bank accounts and other related organizational projects will support us in becoming a financially sustainable, independent and non-profit Association. More topics were discussed and more tasks assigned, but – as the Germans say- “in der Kürze liegt die Würze” (“the great taste of things is given through brevity”). So we will keep it short here.
After a long day, duck tongues – really short and arguably tasty by nature – made up part of the dinner in the evening in one of Berlin’s great Chinese restaurants. The Board then joined several Alumni of the Berlin Chapter meeting on the local Weihnachtsmarkt and in the rich Berlin bar scene.
Having had an efficient meeting and delicious Glühwein, we are looking forward to further executing the huge variety of projects within our Alumni Association, kicking off new ones as well, with a tremendous amount of energy.
Contributor: Suna Turhan
Alumni Blogging Initiative
Our Alumni Bloggers present their latest additions to the blog:
“I felt embarrassed walking around with a brown girl.”
Racism, sexism, derogation based on appearance or believes – a topic many Jacobs Alumni have a story to tell about. Something that you ultimately encounter when you leave the known. For most of us, Jacobs however was a safe place, a place of acceptance no matter on how great the differences and yet, maybe we are not as sacred as we thought. Join blogger Omaina Hamid Aziz (Class of 2012) on her fight against racism and listen to her unbelievable experiences in The Ghosts That Haunt Me.
“You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to know that deciding what you want to do for the rest of your life is no cakewalk. It is that big question that seems to plague us throughout and especially after college.”
Are you having trouble answering that big question? Do you feel unsure about what to do with your life? Then take a moment and consider blogger Victoria Rivera’s (Class of 2011) advice. Her four points might help you to Find Your Career Path – For Now.
The Alumni Blog is an initiative by the Alumni Association. Currently, we are a core team of six alumni bloggers: Hauke Holtkamp (Class of 2005), Omaina Hamid Aziz (Class of 2012), Victoria Rivera (Class of 2010), Judith Heptner (Class of 2013), Eva Schmitz (Class of 2014), and project leader Suna Turhan (Class of 2010). Through the blog, we hope to enrich your individual experiences with valuable insights from our personal as well as professional lives on a wide range of topics, covering intercultural experiences in the private and professional sphere, management techniques, other career related advice, as well as relevant stages within personal development, such as on health, on relationships or on having a family. Visit us at http://www.jacobs-alumni.de/blog and share your comments. We are looking forward to learning from each other on this joint Alumni platform!
Contributor: Eva Schmitz