German student honoured by World War One Scholarship
Fabian, who is from Nuremberg, Germany, is completing a Master of International Relations at Victoria and says that receiving the scholarship has been a great honour.
“This is a one-off opportunity and it’s really nice to know that my hard work to get this scholarship paid off.”
The New Zealand Prime Minister’s First World War Centenary Peace and Security Scholarship was announced as part of the one-hundredth commemoration of World War One visit to Berlin in 2015 by former Prime Minister John Key. The scholarship recognises the importance of New Zealand and Germany’s shared commitment to peace, global security and international cooperation and is a one-time scholarship.
Fabian says he chose to study at Victoria through a series of coincidences.
“I met two or three New Zealanders while I was studying at Duke University in the United States, and they got me interested in the country. I then read about the Prime Minister’s scholarship and thought it sounded interesting academically.
“It wasn’t very rational and I didn’t make a list of pros and cons—I just thought I’d be stupid if I didn’t try.”
Fabian says that New Zealand and German academia are quite similar and he finds the discussion style of his lectures thought-provoking.
“It’s based on debate and group conversation, which is interactive, and you have to formulate things yourself. It means you engage more than you do when just listening and taking notes. The lecturers are really encouraging when you state your own opinions. The University is a very diverse place to be, with students from lots of different countries—I’ve met people from countries I’ve never been to. It’s very nice to have conversations with a diverse crowd especially when studying international relations.
“I’ve also had great experiences with Victoria International. In the first two weeks I was part of an orientation that helped us to understand how the academic system here works, cultural factors, and helped us to meet other students. Victoria International is always willing to help and is very approachable.”
Victoria International’s International Development Scholarships Manager Tim Lawther says Fabian is both contributing to, and benefitting from, Victoria’s diverse student community.
“The majority of our New Zealand Scholarship students come from South East Asia and the Pacific. Fabian brings further diversity, and a different perspective to the group. Conversely, as a student of international relations, I believe Fabian has benefitted from the relationships he has developed with citizens of countries with which he may have otherwise had little engagement.”
Fabian will complete his Master’s at the end of this year and will stay on in New Zealand until February 2018.