Just six years ago it was unthinkable for Fayez Alkhalil that he would be studying at Landshut University of Applied Sciences, let alone living in Germany. The 33-year-old fled the civil war in his Syrian homeland in September 2015. Since then Alkhalil has been a shining example of successful integration. He has now received the DAAD Prize, which comes with 1000 euros in prize money, from the President of the University of Applied Sciences, Prof. Fritz Pörnbacher for his commitment and his academic achievements on the "Social Work in Child and Youth Welfare" course.
"You managed to get used to a course that requires a high level of communication skills in a very short time," emphasised the university president in his laudation. "This is all the more impressive when you consider that you did not speak a word of German before arriving in Germany."
Voluntary work with the fire brigade, Caritas and Diakonie
Alkhalil's social commitment was recognised by Prof. Stefan Borrmann, Dean of the Faculty of Social Work The young Syrian volunteers in the refugee and integration counselling service at Caritas and Diakonie Landshut, in the Bruckberg Circle of Helpers as a contact person for any issues concerning the everyday life of Arabic-speaking refugees and as a member of the Bruckberg Voluntary Fire Brigade. "Mr Alkhalil's accomplishment deserves all our respect. He has integrated himself into society with his involvement. But there were also people around him who were open to him getting involved. This makes him a good example of how our Chancellor's motto 'We can do this!', which was first expressed in 2015, can become reality," says Borrmann.
Besides Pörnbacher and Borrmann, Andrea Kilb from the International Office also attended the award ceremony and congratulated Fayez Alkhalil. The 33-year-old expressed his thanks for the award and emphasised how much he had enjoyed studying at the university. "What I have been able to enjoy over the last five years in Germany and what great experiences I have had, is simply unbelievable."
The German Academic Exchange Service created the DAAD Prize more than ten years ago. It comes with 1,000 euros in prize money and is intended to raise the profile of foreign students at German universities and honour them for exceptional achievements.
Photo: Landshut University of Applied Sciences
(free for use if source is indicated)
