Past years’ award winners
On this page, you can read about the people who have won the DAAD award in previous years. In 2020 and 2021, no DAAD prize was awarded at TU Dresden due to the pandemic.
Table of contents
- Award Winner 2024 - Maria-Catalina Costache
- Award Winner 2023 - Zhaowei Zheng
- 2022 award winner - Yuliia Haluza
- 2019 award winner – Mahmood Jabbasseh
- 2018 award winner – Ezchial Wendtoin Nikiema
- 2016 award winner – Jasmin Colic
- 2015 award winner – Silatsa Saha
- 2014 award winner – Ayda Ordouie
- 2013 award winner – Dianeisy Delgado Lopez
Award Winner 2024 - Maria-Catalina Costache
Ms. Costache went to school in Romania and visited TU Dresden for the first time during a school trip in year 9. Later, she had great success in her course of studies of Art History and has now graduated both with a Bachelor's as well as a Master's degree from TU Dresden.
Maria-Catalina Costache was engaged in a wide variety of projects during her time at TU Dresden, which includes a 6 year time period with the European Student Forum AEGEE. This non-profit organization includes around 13.000 members from 200 local groups in 40 European countries to date and has been uniting students from all over Europe since its year of foundation in 1985. Ms. Costache was co-responsible for the AEGEE Buddy-Program, an active member of the workgroup Human Resources, responsible for fundraising, cash auditor and, in the years 2020 and 2021, even chairwoman for AEGEE-Dresden. Additionally, she contributed to the AEGEE Help Ukraine Task Force and, in the process, curated the travelling exhibition "Unissued Diplomas", which could also be visited at TU Dresden.
Furthermore, Ms. Costache showed engagement with AWO SONNENSTEIN - a non-profit organization for labor wellfare - for multiple years. At her occupation at the Servicestelle für Sprach- und Integrationsmittler she supported daycare centers, schools, clinics, businesses, bureaus, and agencies as well as councelling centers in their communication with foreign-language customers, clients, and patients. With her language skills, she was able to support countless people in their communication and integration in Dresden.
Ms. Costache's engagement during her time at TU Dresden contributed a great deal to the welcome culture at the university, to the integration of people in the city, as well as to the expansion of democratic and European values within the TU study community and beyond. The TU Dresden is very proud to honor Ms. Costache with the DAAD Award 2024 as an exceptionally engaged international alumna.
The DAAD Award 2024 was handed over to Ms. Costache on 24. October 2024 at the award ceremony for the Preis Internationalisierung 2024 by Prof. Dr. Roswitha Böhm, prorector for unversity culture.
https://www.instagram.com/tudresden/p/DBiYIOxvLOF/
Award Winner 2023 - Zhaowei Zheng
The DAAD award winner in 2023, Ms. Zhaowei Zheng, was involved in various projects during her psychology studies, which she successfully completed in September 2023.
The decisive factors for the award were her excellent academic achievements and her involvement in the nationwide mentoring program "Balu und du", which promotes equal opportunities and educational justice for primary school children. Ms. Zheng was a mentor for a primary school child from Dresden for over a year and built up a close relationship during this time. The process of mentoring young children was very warm and fulfilling for her. In terms of her own future, this commitment has also left a lasting impression and Ms. Zheng is considering the possibility of a future career in child and adolescent psychotherapy.
Ms. Zheng's commitment shows that compassion, and especially one's own time and support, can make a lasting difference in a child's life and is therefore a valuable contribution to our society. The DAAD Prize 2023 was presented to Ms Zheng on behalf of TU Dresden by the Vice-Rector for Education, Prof. Dr. Kobel, in a small ceremony at the Rectorate on 15 December 2023.
2022 award winner - Yuliia Haluza
Dr. Maximina H. Yun from the Center for Regenerative Therapies Dresden (CRTD) nominated Ms. Haluza for the award. Ms. Haluza obtained her secondary school diploma in Ukraine in 2016 and subsequently studied biology at the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv. She is currently in the 4th semester of her Master's degree in Regenerative Biology and Medicine at TU Dresden, with an average grade of 1.5.
Ms. Haluza organized the entire communication, fundraising, logistics for the delivery and subsequent measures for sustainable aid for the Ukrainians during the war - throughout the CRTD and beyond. She also succeeded in bringing Ukrainian refugees together with reliable hosts here in Dresden, thus providing these families with great relief from their hardship. She also took part in demonstrations for peace together with Ukrainian and Russian students from the CRTD, as a demonstration of cross-border cohesion.
2019 award winner – Mahmood Jabbasseh
“Since the beginning of his studies, Mr. Jabbasseh has done outstanding work as an interpreter for refugee patients at the University Hospital Dresden. For the past two semesters, he has also volunteered with the Medicine and Dentistry Faculty Student Council as part of a mentoring project for first-year seminar groups.”
Mr. Mahmood Jabbasseh was the winner of the 2019 DAAD Award. Originally from Syria, he started studying Dentistry at TU Dresden in October 2017. “Since the beginning of his studies, Mr. Jabbasseh has done outstanding work as an interpreter for refugee patients at the University Hospital Dresden. For the past two semesters, he has also volunteered with the Medicine and Dentistry Faculty Student Council as part of a mentoring project for first-year seminar groups.”
2018 award winner – Ezchial Wendtoin Nikiema
“Mr. Nikiema is involved in numerous projects in his homeland of Burkina Faso and in Germany. Music is one of his greatest passions. He is a member of the Dresden-based band “Banda Internationale,” whose members work to combat racism and to encourage more tolerance, respect and solidarity. The band was awarded the Saxon Prize for Socio-Cultural Engagement in 2016.”
Mr. Nikiema was nominated for the award by Dr. Ulrich Zeuner from the Institute of German Studies, Chair of German as a Foreign Language. He has been awarded this prize in recognition of his excellent academic performance in the Linguistics, Literature and Cultural Studies Master’s degree program (with a concentration in German Studies) as well as his social engagement. Mr. Nikiema is involved in numerous projects in his homeland of Burkina Faso and in Germany. Music is one of his greatest passions. He is a member of the Dresden-based band “Banda Internationale,” whose members work to combat racism and to encourage more tolerance, respect and solidarity. The band was awarded the Saxon Prize for Socio-Cultural Engagement in 2016. He also offers intercultural workshops in schools and kindergartens, is an advisor to the PASCH mentoring program and leads an exchange program in Burkina Faso in collaboration with the Goethe Institut and the PASCH Program.
2016 award winner – Jasmin Colic
“Mr. Colic’s commitment to caring for traumatized refugees is outstanding. He founded the ‘(P)Sei-Pate’ project on his own initiative, which provides psychological care to refugees in Dresden and the surrounding area and helps them to better integrate into society.”
Mr. Colic was nominated for the award by Prof. Jürgen Hoyer from the Institute of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy. Mr. Colic has been awarded this prize in recognition of his excellent academic performance in the Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy Master’s degree program as well as his social engagement. Mr. Colic’s commitment to caring for traumatized refugees is outstanding. He founded the “(P)Sei-Pate” project on his own initiative, which provides psychological care to refugees in Dresden and the surrounding area and helps them to better integrate into society.
2015 award winner – Silatsa Saha
“Ms. Silatsa Saha has been awarded this prize in recognition of her excellent academic performance in the Electrical Engineering Diplom degree program as well as her social engagement. [...] Her volunteer work facilitates student integration and improves the living situation of international newcomers to Dresden.”
Ms. Silatsa Saha has been awarded this prize in recognition of her excellent academic performance in the Electrical Engineering Diplom degree program as well as her social engagement. She was nominated for the award by Prof. Plettemeier. Since January 2013, she has also been volunteering for STUBE Sachen, an initiative geared towards supporting students from Africa, Asia, Latin America and Eastern Europe. Since April 2015, Ms. Silatsa Saha has been working regularly with Caritas Dresden in its youth migration service, where she supports the advice service and volunteers to assist young people with language acquisition, school, training, work and study. Her volunteer work facilitates student integration and improves the living situation of international newcomers to Dresden.
2014 award winner – Ayda Ordouie
“Ms. Ordouie has been awarded this prize in recognition of her excellent academic performance in the Biology Master’s degree program as well as her social engagement. [...] As an interpreter and cultural mediator, Ms. Ordouie supports asylum seekers from Afghanistan and Iran in their communications with public authorities and institutions as well as with social, educational and health care facilities. Through her volunteer work, she directly improves the living situation of refugees and facilitates their integration.”
Ms. Ordouie has been awarded this prize in recognition of her excellent academic performance in the Biology Master’s degree program as well as her social engagement. She was nominated for the prize by the Chair of Molecular Cell Physiology and Endocrinology. Since 2013, Ms. Ordouie has been volunteering as a community interpreter in Dresden with an association offering support with the social integration of internationals, the “Dresdner Verein für soziale Integration von Ausländern und Aussiedlern e.V.” The association is a member of the German Parity Charitable Association (Deutscher Paritätischer Wohlfahrtsverband) and received an award in 2003 from the Federal President of the Federal Republic of Germany for its integration work with migrants. As an interpreter and cultural mediator, Ms. Ordouie supports asylum seekers from Afghanistan and Iran in their communications with public authorities and institutions as well as with social, educational and health care facilities. Through her volunteer work, she directly improves the living situation of refugees and facilitates their integration. Ms. Ordouie is also involved in two more social projects.
2013 award winner – Dianeisy Delgado Lopez
“Alongside her excellent academic performance [...] the decisive factors for selecting Ms. Delgado Lopez were her involvement in a language meet-up for international newcomers as well as a creative project for the children of asylum seekers. With her dedication, she has made a proactive and effective contribution to integration work in Dresden.”
Ms. Delgado Lopez received her secondary school diploma in Cuba in 2007 and attended the University of Havana for three years, majoring in German Studies. After an internship as a German language lecturer in her home country, she came to Germany in 2011 to study at TU Dresden. First, she completed a preparatory seminar (German course/foundation course). Starting in the 2011 winter semester, Ms. Delgado Lopez studied for a Bachelor’s in Linguistics, Literature and Cultural Studies (German Studies/Linguistics and Romance Studies/Spanish), while volunteering with an association for the protection of children's rights, the Deutscher Kinderschutzbund in Dresden. Dr. Zeuner from the Faculty of Linguistics, Literature and Cultural Studies become aware of Ms. Delgado Lopez due to her interest and active participation in his courses. He praises her academic performance and good grades in the German as a Foreign Language Specialization. However, the decisive factor for selecting Ms. Delgado Lopez was her involvement in a language meet-up for international newcomers as well as a creative project for the children of asylum seekers. With her dedication, she has made a proactive and effective contribution to integration work in Dresden. With the awarding of the DAAD prize, Ms. Delgado Lopez’s excellent academic performance as well as the contributions of all international students at TU Dresden should be made more visible. The aim is also to encourage more international students at TU Dresden to get involved in social causes.