International students were asked to apply for the annual DAAD Prize again this year. Faisal Farhan stood out from the other candidates. The Commission honours his exemplary actions: “Faisal Farhan is a role model for his fellow students and demonstrates how every individual can make a contribution to the internationality of the University of Greifswald”.
The prizewinner is successfully studying medicine in Greifswald. He is currently completing his practice year in University Medicine’s surgery department. Faisal Farhan has been involved in voluntary work for several years, alongside his demanding course of study. “It is my goal to be a role model for other international students and to show that you can still achieve good results in spite of the foreign language and get involved in social issues and voluntary work,” explains the prizewinner. Part of his voluntary work includes his work as an interpreter. The student translates for asylum seekers at public authorities and for Arab patients at the hospital. “Most Arab patients can speak neither German, nor English. Establishing the patient’s medical history and the first contact between the patient and the doctor are difficult. They cannot describe the pains that they have, where they are and when the pains started,” says Faisal Farhan. He teaches Arabic to fellow students who are interested. The prizewinner is a member of the Yemeni Student Association in Germany and Chairman of the Yemeni Association of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. In this function, he supports new students in Greifswald. He shows them the town, helps to find them accommodation and is their point of contact for questions or problems.
The prize will be awarded at the Winter Ball on the 21/01/2017 in the Theatercafé Greifswald. The annual event is organised by the International Office and the Local Erasmus Initiative. It is the official winter semester party for international students and students in Greifswald who are interested in internationality.
Seven students at the University of Greifswald applied for the award in 2016. They come from Hungary, Italy, Syria, France, Yemen and China. The prize has been awarded by the DAAD for more than 10 years. It aims to accentuate the enrichment that foreign students can bring to the university community and helps give them a face.
Contact at the University of Greifswald
Katharina Schmitt
Director of the International Office
Domstraße 8
17489 Greifswald
Tel.: +49 3834 86-1117
katharina.schmittuni-greifswaldde