Nezar's letter of motivation

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I have been living in Berlin as a Syrian refugee since September 2015. Once I arrived in Germany, it was clear to me that I wanted to study here. And I have achieved this goal, as I have been enrolled at the German University of Applied Sciences Berlin (HTW) for the Electrical Engineering degree programme since October 2019.

The path to get there was not easy. My university entrance qualification from Syria was not recognised here, so I tried a lot to find a way to be able to study here after all, and I managed it. My two-year degree in electrical engineering with additional work experience in Syria was recognised by the Chamber of Industry and Commerce as training. And because of my many years of work experience in Syria, I was able to apply via Section 11 of the Berlin Higher Education Act. I applied to colleges and universities and no one in counselling knew exactly about my particular case. It seems I was one of the first who wanted to apply as a refugee via Paragraph 11, but had my education and work experience from abroad. I was all the more relieved and happy when I received acceptances.

I am currently in my third semester and I enjoy it, but at the same time it is very exhausting and time-consuming. With my C1 level in the German language, studying is naturally more difficult for me than for locals.

In Syria, I have been volunteering with the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) since the beginning of the war. This organisation supports people in the country shaken by civil war. The focus of SARC's work is refugee aid and disaster management. But it is also active in first aid training and general health care. I have volunteered there as a paramedic, assisted in the evacuation of civilians and helped provide emergency shelter.

Values like helpfulness and charity are very important to me, and so I also looked for a volunteer position here in Germany where I could live out these values. In the process, I came across the German Federal Agency for Technical Relief (THW). This is the German civil defence and disaster relief organisation of the federal government. I would also like to find these values in my profession. With my studies, I can contribute to preserving nature and biodiversity and to counteracting climate change.

So my goal is to contribute something to environmental protection with my profession.I am suitable for this scholarship because I am always motivated, as long as I achieve my goals, as with my studies. I also bring the values that are important to your company. I am happy to share my experiences with others on social media.

Yours sincerely,
Nezar Aldroubi