I think with all the talk of teaching and studying abroad this past month, it's the perfect moment to discuss my time in New York with the DAAD.
Back in May 2023, I happily announced my acceptance into their young ambassador program! Those of us who were accepted were flown to New York in the end of August for orientation workshops, as well to explore some of the many attractions New York has to offer.
Let me tell you all about!
What is the DAAD?
Let's start off with the background information. What is the DAAD?
Founded in Heidelberg in 1925, the DAAD - Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst or German Academic Exchanging Service in English - is the world’s largest funding organization for the international exchange of students and researchers to Germany.
They not only offer scholarships and research grants for study and research abroad to Germany, but also have many opportunities to study abroad, research abroad, and gain professional development through internships in Germany for students at all levels (undergraduate, graduate, post-doctoral). They also offer partially or fully online courses available through German universities.
These programs range from language classes in Germany, to degrees (BA, MA, PhD) at German universities, to teach abroad opportunities, and undergraduate, doctoral, and postdoctoral research programs.
If you're interested in expanding your academic and/or professional careers in Germany, the DAAD is made for you!
What is the Young Ambassador Program?
The DAAD's Young Ambassadors are brand ambassadors who are tasked with organizing events at their home universities that encourage other young adults to expand their academic and professional careers in Germany with the DAAD.
As a Young Ambassador, I'll be doing class visits to do short presentations about what the DAAD has to offer students, be at open houses, and international fairs. I'm hoping to also have a booth with a spin-to-win some DAAD merch such as reusable bags, pens, sticky notes, and more.
In November, I'll be doing an Instagram takeover over on the DAAD's Instagram, where I'll be discussing a few tips for traveling to Germany, as well as micro-blogging about some of my favourite moments while study abroad!
There will also be articles and presentations right here on the website about the programs that the DAAD offers, along with their funding opportunities as well. To keep up to date with these events, follow me over on Instagram!
The orientation workshops in New York were intended to prepare us for all this.
The Workshops
On day 1 of the 4 day orientation trip we all checked into the hotel, then enjoyed a welcome dinner with all the other Young Ambassadors at a local German restaurant.
So fitting based on the DAAD's history right?
Day 2 of the trip is when we went to the German Consulate in New York for our first set of workshops. Boy was it a little nerve-wracking to be in such an important place.
Similar to an airport, we had to go through security and metal detectors before we could enter. We also couldn't go anywhere around the building without a key holder.
We started the workshops off with introductions. I had the chance to formally meet all the other Young Ambassadors as well the ever so accomplished Ethan Grandel, Peter Kerrigan, Brenda Lamboy, and Hanni Geist. All these wonderful individuals will be my peers and mentors for this coming school year as I run events to encourage other young adults to expand their academic and professional careers in Germany.
We also discussed the basics of the program such as expectations, the opportunities available to us as Young Ambassadors, a detailed description of the DAAD, as well as tips and resources for promoting study and research abroad in Germany.
On day 2 and 3 of the trip, the workshops took place at Pace University. We had a meeting room on the ground floor where they served us complimentary breakfast and lunch each day.
I had quite the culture shock while at this university. In New York, police presence as well as security seems to be quite common in most places, even universities. Each day we were at Pace university, we had to check in at a security desk and show our ID before we could enter the building. We also had to wear these wrist bands that identified us as part of the DAAD group. It was quite safe, which is always good, but definitely different from my university's approach.
On day 2 of the workshops, we learned about the social media side of things and how to leverage our international experiences in our careers. During this day, I had the pleasure of doing a podcast with Hanni Geist about my experiences studying abroad, which you can listen to on Soundcloud.
On our 3rd and last day of the workshops, we did some review of the things we've learned by playing a very lively game of Jeopardy, as well as putting together and presenting draft presentations about the different programs the DAAD has to offer. We also took our group photo this day, which you can see right here.
The Young Ambassadors
This year, 16 of us, myself included, were accepted into the young ambassador program.
We are all over the USA, Canada, and Puerto Rico. If you'd like to connect with any of us, check out our profiles right here.
If this is something you might be interested in and are based in Canada, the US, or Puerto Rico, I recommend checking out the DAAD's Young Ambassador program. We'd love to have you! Applications will open up again 2024.
It was wonderful to get to know all these amazing and accomplished young professionals! I cannot wait to see the events we put on this coming school year! I'll definitely be telling you all about them right here on the blog and over on Instagram!
Like I said in the beginning, while on this trip to New York, we had many opportunities to travel around and enjoy some of the many attractions New York has to offer. We went to The Met, Time Square, and more. To hear all about these, check out my post on New York.
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