Resul Zoroğlu Receives a Scholarship from Deutschlandstiftung Integration

Our research assistant Resul Zoroğlu received a scholarship from Deutschlandstiftung Integration. The GEH DEINEN WEG scholarship is a support program for talented young people with a migrant background. On October 23 and 24, 2023, Resul attended the opening event for the new scholars in Berlin.

On the first day, a group of scholars visited the Bundestag and joined a guided tour and a discussion with MP Macit Karaahmetoğlu. The other group visited the art museum Hamburger Bahnhof - National Gallery of the Present, where they were welcomed by the directors Till Fellrath and Sam Bardaouil.

The highlight of the first day was the meeting in the Commerzbank building. The welcome address by Mikolaj Ciechanowicz, Managing Director of the Deutschlandstiftung Integration, was followed by a panel discussion on the topic of "German foreign policy between values and interests" with Dr. Melanie Amann, Oleksandr Borevych, Dr. Astrid Irrgang and Sudha David-Wilp, moderated by Bilal Bağ and Merve Navruz.

The evening in the Commerzbank building started with an opening speech by former Federal President Christian Wulff, followed by a welcome address by Berlin Senator Joe Chialo. Alev Doğan, the new deputy editor-in-chief of ThePioneer, inspired the audience with a keynote speech on integration and multiple identities. Simon Usifo spoke in an interview about his bestseller "People of Deutschland" on the topic of racism in Germany. Finally, the scholars were presented with their certificates and Aylin Kalkan delivered a motivational speech.

On the second day, the scholars were guests of the president of Germany at Bellevue Palace. Frank-Walter Steinmeier spoke about diversity in Germany. Next, Anahita Thoms and Sadaf Agha discussed mentor-mentee relationships. Two non-profit start-ups were presented: Yana, a chatbot that supports people who experienced discrimination, and aMStart, a platform for digital self-help and networking for people with chronic diseases. Finally, Lizge Yikmis gave a TED Talk on multidimensional identities.

Resul: "It is an extraordinary honor to be accepted for the GEH DEINEN WEG scholarship from the Deutschlandstiftung Integration. The opening events gave me the opportunity to meet politicians at the highest political level in the Federal Republic of Germany. I may even have even met one of the future German presidents. It was a privilege to meet so many inspiring and outstanding personalities. I am deeply impressed. The diversity of the discussions and the range of topics that were covered during the events left a lasting impression and meant a lot for me."

Deutschlandstiftung Integration is under the patronage of the Federal Chancellor and is sponsored by EDEKA, Coca-Cola and Mercedes-Benz.