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Dr. Katarzyna Haverkamp (left) presented the Ostwürttemberg Ambassador Awards at the Ostalbkreis District Office together with Pascal Cromm from Aalen University of Applied Sciences (back row, center). Photo: © Ostalbkreis District Office

Sixteen students of Aalen University of Applied Sciences were recently honored as Honorary Ambassadors of the Ostwürttemberg region during a ceremonial event at the District Office in Aalen. The students, who successfully completed the multi-stage ambassador program, come from India, Egypt, Iran, South Africa, Paraguay, and Turkey.

The status of Honorary Ambassador is awarded through active participation in the Ostwürttemberg Honorary Ambassador Program, which was launched in 2017 by the four state universities in the Ostwürttemberg region in cooperation with the Ostwürttemberg Economic Development Corporation (WiRO). The program was initiated to enable international students to integrate more quickly and deeply into German culture and society.

At the same time, participants represent the region and, upon returning to their home countries, help raise awareness of Ostwürttemberg’s universities abroad. To date, more than 300 students have been honored as Honorary Ambassadors.

“Each and every one of them carries this distinction out into the world—and every single story is a piece of lived internationalization,” emphasized Pascal Cromm, Head of the International Relations Office at Aalen University of Applied Sciences, in his laudatory address.

Attendance in German language courses is mandatory for prospective Honorary Ambassadors of Ostwürttemberg. In addition, through a wide range of activities and encounters offered as part of the program, international students were able to integrate quickly into both university life and society at large. These included volunteer work for local organizations, events hosted by associations, the International Club, as well as cultural activities such as theater performances, museum visits, and concerts.

Dr. Katarzyna Haverkamp from the Division for Economic Development, the European Office, and the Office for Women and Employment at the Ostalbkreis District Office presented the certificates on behalf of District Administrator Dr. Joachim Bläse. Haverkamp focused on the people behind the program, thanking the students for their commitment and the International Center of Aalen University of Applied Sciences for its reliable guidance and support.

Referring to the Ostalbkreis region, she highlighted its distinctive strengths as a location and appealed to the participants to carry their experiences forward—into their circles of friends, professional communities, and home countries—as a catalyst for new collaborations and future cohorts of international students at Aalen University of Applied Sciences.