During my time as a student, I was supported, materially and non-materially, by scholarships from the German Academic Scholarship Foundation (Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes) and the Max Weber Program (Max Weber-Programm Bayern). As an alumnus of the Max Weber Program, I was also a member of the Elite Network Bayern (Elitenetzwerk Bayern) which celebrated its 20th anniversary yesterday at the Munich Residence with 250 guests from academia and politics.

A couple of weeks ago, I got invited to be part of a lounge talk at yesterday’s anniversary party together with three other alumni. The lounge talk was moderated by Prof. Dr. Simone Müller and served as an opportunity to tell about our CV and experiences as students connected to programs and events of the Elite Network Bayern.

For me, it was the first time speaking in front of such a huge crowd with a microphone. I was a bit nervous, but in the end it was a pretty exciting experience that I was able to enjoy. After the official part, we had a really nice evening full of interesting conversations with new and familiar faces and great catering.

The official part of the anniversary party, including our lounge talk (starting at 01:05:30), was streamed live on YouTube and is now available as a video (in German). An official article (in German) from the German National Scholarship Foundation is also available.

Addendum 1: Article from Elite Network of Bavaria (English, German)
Addendum 2: Press release of the Bavarian State Ministry of Science and the Arts (German)