Diana’s Path from Ukraine to Zeppelin University

Why don’t you start by telling me who you are?

Diana: My name is Diana, and I’m from Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine. After graduating from high school, I went to university in another city, which, I think, is called "Lemberg" in German. That was my first time moving away from my family. At first, I was really upset about it, but eventually, I got excited. What else…? I’m 20 years old, have two siblings, and two pets. We’re a big family, and there’s always something fun and interesting happening.

What are you studying here, and how do you like it so far?

Diana: I’m studying Management, Economics, and Social Science. It’s a new program that was introduced this year. It’s been really nice—exactly what I expected, which makes me very happy. It’s neither too hard nor too easy. I like the university, the campuses, the people, and the professors. Everything is just really cool.

Why did you choose Zeppelin University, and why Germany in general?

Diana: Those are two different topics. First, about moving to Germany—we came here because of the war. I moved with my family, which made it much easier than moving alone. We also have family here who supported us a lot with accommodation and settling in. Their kindness has been incredible. We moved in 2022 and decided to stay for now. My mom started looking into universities for me because we were not sure if I could keep continuing studying at my university. She discovered Zeppelin University on Facebook and became very enthusiastic about it. I didn't really consider going to university that year because I was quite stressed, and I wanted to have some time to adjust and understand if I even wanted to stay in Germany. But later, I remembered her excitement, I checked the website again, and I was like, wow, that's really nice.

How do you like the student life here? Is it comparable to your previous universities?

Diana: It’s hard to compare because I’ve studied at three universities, each very different. My first university in Ukraine was stressful at first because I didn’t want to move away, and just as I was adapting, the war started. So I was like, okay, let's move on. Then I did an exchange semester at the University of Notre Dame in the USA. That was really nice, the biggest experience of student life that I ever had in my life. Here at ZU, I'd say the university and the students organizations are doing a lot of nice things, but I can't say that much about Friedrichshafen yet.

How did you choose your field of study, and what interests you about it?

Diana: I studied sociology at my first university, which I found interesting, but I knew, that I don't want to do that as a career. I’ve always been interested in social sciences, psychology, for example, so I really like that the third part of MES is social sciences. I also studied economics in high school and was debating it for my studies at university. This program combines those interests, plus management, which I had been curious about. I also liked the focus on sustainability, which is an important aspect of the curriculum.

Do you have any career goals in mind after university?

Diana: I have dreams, though I’m not sure how to achieve them yet. I’d love to work in the fashion industry, particularly in the fashion business. I also really like the focus on entrepreneurship here at ZU and that everyone is motivated to find something themselves. I always wanted to create something by myself, and here I can learn how to do it in a sustainable way. So I really like that I can gain so much from this place, not only from my classes. We also have a lot of workshops here, which I didn’t have at my previous universities. I think that is a really nice part.

Does your family plan to stay in Germany long-term? What about you?

Diana: Nowadays, I try not to plan anything that far in the future. I used to plan a lot. I used to plan how I'm going to graduate, find a job, get married, and all that. But then I kind of learned not to plan anything that far in advance because you can just wake up and your life changes. For now, my parents want my siblings and me to graduate here and maybe work in Germany. I’ll definitely stay for my bachelor’s degree and likely a master’s. Beyond that, who knows how the future will turn out?

Have you faced any challenges at ZU or in Germany in general?

Diana: It was definitely a cultural shock because even though we're all in Europe, and it seems like we are really close, there are a lot of things that are different in Germany in comparison to Ukraine. People are not behaving in the same ways I’m used to, and especially the bureaucracy has been challenging. It was nice that I knew German at a certain level, it wasn't perfect, but I could at least understand something, since I learned it in school. Still, it’s hard for me to have deep conversations. It’s frustrating, but also motivates me to improve.