The DAAD Prize - the German Academic Exchange Service prize for foreign students - is awarded once a year at HWG LU and is endowed with 1000 euros. All members of the university may nominate potential prize winners, and a jury made up of representatives from all Departments makes the selection. Nominations are based on outstanding academic achievements, university commitment and social engagement. This year, the jury chose Christelle Sandrine Mbiapo Cheudjouo from Cameroon, who is studying Business Informatics in her 5th semester. The award ceremony took place in a festive setting last Wednesday at the HWG LU.
Christelle came to Germany in March 2016. She had already spent two years learning German at the Goethe-Institut in Yaoundé, took the DSH (German language test for university entrance) in Marburg and began studying in Mainz. After two semesters, she transferred to the HWG LU to study business informatics.
Parallel to her studies, she was able to gain a wide range of practical experience - of course also to earn a living. During the semester break, she worked in production at Daimler in Bremen and continuously in customer service and the checkout at Kaufhof-Karstadt in Viernheim - a job she was happy to take on, as her grandmother and mother have a clothing store in Cameroon, where she helped out as a young girl.
Since August of this year, she has been a working student at SAP partner Vistex in Walldorf in Sales Support, where she is responsible for customer surveys, error research and data management. The department works closely with the marketing department, which employs people from 23 different countries. A good opportunity for Christelle to speak German, French and English.
In addition to her membership of the African students' group at the HWG LU and her active participation in the Buddy Program of the International Office, she regularly helps other international fellow students to get started with their studies and with various difficulties that arise, and has given private lessons in English. At least once a month, Christelle meets up with an international group of friends who have come together here at the university.
Supporting young women with a social project is Christelle's big dream. Even today, many girls in Cameroon still have poor starting conditions, both in terms of health and education as well as financial status. Many traditions prevent the advancement of women. Education in these areas is urgently needed to counteract this waste of resources of female potential and thus also strengthen the country.
