Four years of study, one adventure: the 43rd class has now also made it

"We've now spent four years at ZU, four years in which most of us have spent 32 thousand euros," and that's without counting the cost of coffee, Joshua Zielbauer, this year's Bachelor graduate from Zeppelin University, calculated in his speech at the graduation ceremony. Together with his fellow student Johanna Freimuth, he was the last to take the stage, but despite the long dinner, they effortlessly managed to capture the audience's attention. With a humorous and touching speech, they took everyone present on a journey through their four years at Lake Constance.

And what did they get for their money? - Around 416 hours of lectures, many pages of written and even more read texts, but above all: an adventure.

"ZU was an adventure for me and in a world where we plan everything, adventures have become very rare," says Joshua. The two also asked their fellow students what the most memorable moments of their Friedrichshafen adventure were. In summary, it can probably be said: "Friedrichshafen is special, somewhere "unimpressive", gray and also quite nice, but fortunately always with a lake."

And yet the semester seems to look back on his time as a student in anything but a negative light, because "right in the middle of this Friedrichshafen is Zeppelin University: between business, culture and politics or between community, versatility and openness. There is respect, friendship and honest exchange here - a feel-good bubble that is probably very hard to find elsewhere," Johanna summarizes.

During Prof. Armen Avanessian's speech on the topic of transitions and transformations, some in the audience initially had to find the connection between his story about the creation of the world and the university degree. In the end, Avanessian emphasized that artificial intelligence and climate change are the big issues of our time, which can only be understood against a background of evolutionary history. "Today, we are about to experience a ninth major evolutionary transition," he speculated.

He hopes that the ZU graduates have taken something decisive with them: Not just to acquire knowledge, but to produce, generate and apply it themselves.

Alumna Prof. Fabiola Gerpott now holds the Chair of Human Resources Management at WHU, but came back to the place where she herself completed her Master's degree 11 years ago to give the graduates a few pointers for their future. Her advice was: Firstly, do a lot. Secondly, just get started - the beginning is always the hardest part.

And thirdly, be in a good mood. As a professor at WHU, she is very familiar with the Euromasters, an annual sports event held there, where ZU students are known - or rather, legendary - for spreading good humor, mutual support and spirit. This ability is invaluable in the face of the many challenges the world faces. She appealed to the graduates to take this "ZU spirit" with them wherever they go: "In the end, it's the personal connections and energy that count."

Zeppelin University's annual graduation ceremony traditionally concludes with a gala dinner at the Dornier Museum. During the dinner, which is hosted by students, alumni, recent graduates and professors share their experiences and memories of ZU in various speeches.