The traditional welcoming event for freshmen at Hochschule Bremen (HSB) - City University of Applied Scinces was actually supposed to start at 4 pm. However, the crowd in front of Bremen Town Hall on Tuesday afternoon, 22 October, was so large that Prof. Dr Annika Maschwitz, vice-president for Teaching, Studies and International Affairs, was only able to officially welcome the many guests twenty minutes later. The Upper Town Hall was filled to bursting with HSB students and staff. The contributions and speeches from the University Management and students were characterised by warmth, respect, appreciation and humour. When Julio Fernández and his HSB choir IntoNation practised and sang a canon with everyone in the hall at the end, there was long-lasting applause and cheers. This was followed by a small get-together for everyone to catch up after the event and round off this special afternoon in the town hall.
The President gave a warm, approachable and humorous welcome to the first semester students in his speech. One aspect in particular was central: respectful and mindful interaction. "We are many and we are diverse"’ said Prof Dr Konrad Wolf. HSB has almost 9,000 students and around 650 employees. "We come from different cities, regions and countries, and we have different social and cultural backgrounds. Regardless of your origin, religion or world view and which gender you feel you belong to: "What counts for us is respectful and mindful cooperation", said the Rector. "We want you to feel comfortable with us and be able to develop freely in your student life."
Michael Pasion from HSB's International Shipping and Chartering degree programme also received respect and recognition. The 29-year-old was honoured with the DAAD prize during the event. Michael Pasion is one of the best. He also spends his free time working for the welfare of seafarers. Since beginning his studies, he has worked part-time to finance himself. For this extraordinary commitment, he received the DAAD Prize 2024, which is endowed with 1,000 euros.