Award ceremony brings sponsors and scholarship holders together
The original plan for the first funding period was to award five scholarships at the University of Kassel. However, as a further applicant turned out to be equally eligible, it was possible to find the HÜBNER Group in Kassel as an additional sponsor at short notice. Under this scholarship, six students at the University of Kassel will now be given valuable support for their academic studies. As well as receiving a monthly grant of 200 euros, they can network with the regional business community and benefit from further educational opportunities.
Alongside the Hamburg Stipendium, the Kassel Stipendium is the second German programme of this kind designed specifically for students with migration or refugee backgrounds. Wintershall Dea, who are one of the sponsors, both in Kassel and Hamburg, have now established contact between the two student support organisations, Studierendenwerk Hamburg and Studierendenwerk Kassel. As a result, the Kassel Stipendium can draw on the experience of its sister organisation in Hamburg.
Wintershall Dea Foundation for Democracy and Diversity comments:
“The Wintershall Dea Foundation for Democracy and Diversity aims to promote development opportunities within a diverse society, especially in the field of education. The impact of a young person’s social background on their educational opportunities is still enormous in Germany, particularly if they have a migration background. By sponsoring the Kassel Stipendium, we want to help increase equal opportunities for promising young professionals,” says Mario Mehren, CEO of Wintershall Dea.“Both sides, business and students, can only benefit from meeting and working together under the scholarship programme.”
The HÜBNER Group comments:
“It is a particular pleasure for us to help launching the Kassel Stipendium because education is very important to HÜBNER in many respects. In addition to the opportunities that we offer to young people, apprenticeships and dual study programs, education is a purpose of our company-affiliated foundation Hübner und Kennedy gGmbH,” says Ingolf Cedra, Managing Director of the HÜBNER Group.“We see education as the key to social prosperity, democratic participation and successful development of people’s skills so that they can develop their individual abilities for the common good.”
Studierendenwerk Kassel comments:
“This is a very special day for our student support organisation, as it’s the first time that we are celebrating the award of our Kassel Stipendium,” says Julia Thonfeld, Vice Chair of the Studierendenwerk Kassel.“I’m so pleased that this scholarship enables us to support six students who made an impression on us not only with their academic achievements, but also with their special life stories.”
About Kassel Stipendium
The Kassel Stipendium provides financial and non-material support to students who have demonstrated exceptional accomplishments in their studies despite their demanding situations. Applications are open to students with migration or refugee backgrounds and whose parents did not acquire degrees at German universities. As well as recognising the accomplishments and social commitment of scholarship holders, the Kassel Stipendium provides financial independence to some extent. To students it gives freedom to focus even more on their academic studies.
More information about Kassel Stipendium:
www.studierendenwerk-kassel.de/geld/kassel-stipendium
