Master's student Beybin Elvin Tunç receives this year's DAAD Prize for outstanding achievements of international students.

She is committed to intercultural exchange and to promoting mutual understanding between Turkish and German young people. At the same time, Beybin Elvin Tunç is in her third semester of the European Master of Migration and Intercultural Relations (EMMIR) programme at the University of Oldenburg. Now, the student has received this year's prize from the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) for outstanding achievements by foreign students in recognition of her excellent academic performance and exceptional social commitment. The 27-year-old received the award, which is endowed with 1000 euros, in a virtual ceremony.

The university's vice president for studies, teaching and international affairs, Prof. Dr. Verena Pietzner, thanked Tunç for her inspiring work and exemplary behavior. "We need people like you at our university," she said in her welcoming remarks.

Inspiring others

Oldenburg's coordinator of the international Erasmus Mundus programme EMMIR, Michal Musialowski, praised Beybin Elvin Tunç as a unique and outstanding personality who puts theoretical knowledge into practice while inspiring others. Her tireless efforts to promote mutual understanding between German and Turkish young people and to support refugees and migrants are a common thread running through her life, he said.

Born in Ankara, Turkey, Beybin Elvin Tunç initially studied sociology at the Middle East Technical University in Ankara and spent a semester at the University Institute Lisbon, Portugal, during her bachelor's studies. Prior to her studies in Oldenburg, she was involved in various child and youth welfare projects and organizations, including working with the UN Children's Fund UNICEF.

Since 2018, Tunç has been an active member of the association Jugendbotschafter e.V.. In this position, she teaches, among other things, "Participative Leadership and Project Management" in intercultural workshops aimed at young German and Turkish people. She has also organized various international workshops as part of the EMMIR degree programme, dealing with topics such as social change, democracy, or intercultural learning.