Dr. Nataliya Sadretdinova completed her studies in Textile and Clothing Technology in 2002. Until recently, she promoted TU Dresden in her homeland of Ukraine as a regional ambassador and helped establish academic contacts.

Ms. Ianina Scheuch studied International Relations and now works at the Faculty of Education. She is also a regional ambassador for Ukraine and uses her wide-reaching connections to raise awareness of TUD and to support the university. Since mid-February, she has been putting all of her energy into aiding her compatriots. She has helped Dr. Sadretdinova and her children to safety in Dresden, provided them a place to stay and guided them in the integration process.

The close connection between the Alumni Relations Office and the regional ambassador network is in part to thank for making this possible. The Ukrainian alumni could easily be put in touch with important contacts. “That really helped us,” says Dr. Sadretdinova. “We were in Poland when we received the helpful email from the Alumni Relations Office. I quickly contacted Ianina Scheuch, who came to pick us up. Otherwise, we would have had to stay there – without any contacts in a country where we don’t speak the language. I am very grateful for everything.”

Since April 1, Dr. Sadretdinova has been employed at the Institute of Textile Machinery and High Performance Material Technology under the leadership of Prof. Yordan Kyosev. Together with Ianina Scheuch, he assisted Dr. Sadretdinova in applying for a Philipp Schwartz grant. Dr. Sadretdinova’s son is now a guest student at the university and is taking an intensive German course at TUDIAS. She is currently looking for a school and a language course for her daughter Marina.