“It is only through education that a person becomes what a person is meant to be!” In keeping with this motto by Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, Ellen Leuschner invited graduates of the HSZG 'Studienkolleg' (preparatory college) to this year’s degree certificate ceremony on February 2 in the Citizens’ Hall of the Zittau City Hall.

The head of the 'Studienkolleg' (preparatory college)’s delight was evident in her welcome remarks as she invited those present to look back together on their time at the 'Studienkolleg': From the entrance exam and the first few weeks, when so much seemed new and unclear, all the way to regular classes and the final examinations. It was a challenging time marked by both major and minor hurdles, but also by many shared activities such as hiking trips, an outing to go ice skating, and, of course, student parties. The fact that hard work pays off alongside the celebrations is now evident in the 31 graduates who are receiving their FSP degree certificates, and the 16 graduates who have received their DSH degree certificate, thereby gaining the right to study at a German university.

Ute Wunderlich, the second deputy to Zittau’s mayor and city council member, is also convinced of this. In her welcoming remarks, she emphasized that the preparatory course students, who come from 14 different countries, are welcome here in Zittau and elsewhere in Germany and will continue to be so. She was particularly pleased that“many of these young people have chosen to study at our HSZG.”

Representing the university administration, Sophia Keil, Vice President for Education and International Affairs, took part in the certificate presentation ceremony. She, too, congratulated the graduates and highlighted their importance to the German higher education landscape. Quoting Nelson Mandela, she summed up what seems more important than ever in today’s world: “Education is the most powerful weapon to change the world!”

“Knowledge transfer isn’t a one-way street, ” Ellen Leuschner concluded before the ceremonial presentation of the degree certificates began. She, too, had been able to incorporate quite a few new German words into her vocabulary during their time learning together. The term “vegetarian”—which at first seemed a bit strange but, according to Duden, is indeed correct—will enrich her vocabulary in the future.

Then came the big moment of the degree certificate presentation. A total of 31 graduates (12 female students and 19 male students) received an FSP degree certificate: 17 graduates were presented with degree certificates for the FSP in accordance with the requirements of the Business specialization course (WW course), followed by 14 graduates who were delighted to receive degree certificates for the FSP in accordance with the requirements of the Technology (TI course). In addition, a total of 16 graduates (7 female students and 9 male students) received a DSH degree certificate at the conclusion of the ceremony.

Mario Linack, chairman of the Friends of Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences, was also swept up in the good atmosphere during the ceremony, which was enriched by musical performances on the piano by the Leipert family. With the words, “Today is your day!”, he concluded the ceremony and sent the graduates off into a promising future.

Text: Cornelia Rothe