Award for a "determined, committed and courageous young woman"

The now more than 2,000 international students at Fulda University of Applied Sciences are a great enrichment for the university, the city and the region, but also for Germany as a location as a whole. The many encounters between students and instructors from around 100 different countries contribute to a better understanding of each other and thus ultimately to a more peaceful coexistence. To emphasise this, Fulda University of Applied Sciences and the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) annually award the DAAD Prize to an outstanding international student as part of the welcome ceremony for first-year students organised by the city of Fulda. The prize is endowed with 1,000 euros. It honours outstanding social services: benefits in university studies as well as great social, cultural and societal commitment.

On Tuesday, the DAAD Prize 2024 for international students was awarded to Mariam Tokhadze from Georgia in the Fürstensaal of the Fulda City Palace. She was born and grew up in Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, where she worked as a nurse and doctor's assistant. This work in the hospital made her realise the challenges that pass in the Georgian health system. She decided to start university studies in the field of health sciences - and came to Fulda University of Applied Sciences in 2020.

The president of Fulda University of Applied Sciences, Prof. Dr Karim Khakzar, praised Mariam Tokhadze, who is enrolled on the International Health Sciences study programme, as a "determined, committed and courageous young woman". It is impressive "that you have remained so motivated despite the challenges, that you provide excellent social services: benefits in your university studies, that you stand out very positively with your reflective nature and that you are also socially engaged in many ways."

Laudatory speech by the university president for Mariam Tokhadze