Soon after graduating from high school, Hussein Nadim knew that he wanted to go to law school. As he explains, “I’m interested in law because you can combine promising career opportunities with work that impacts wider society. Becoming a lawyer or a judge provides you with a good opportunity to serve the community.” He adds that the work suits his personal strengths. He likes to read and write, finds it easy to formulate arguments and lines of reasoning, and enjoys interacting with people.

The twenty-two-year-old student from Egypt is in his seventh semester of law school at Freie Universität Berlin and is the recipient of this year’s DAAD Prize for international students studying at German universities. The prize is awarded annually by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) in recognition of outstanding academic achievements and dedication to social issues. Nadim is very grateful for the award. He says, “It feels good to receive this kind of recognition for your achievements.”

Immersed in German Language from Early On

Nadim has only been in Germany for about three years, but his ties to the country go back much farther. He attended a German school in Cairo from elementary through high school, which enabled him to acquire a strong command of the language. He points out that both his parents attended German schools in Cairo, so a close connection to the German language and culture “runs in the family, so to speak.”

That made it easy for him to decide to study in Germany. He explains that Berlin and Freie Universität were at the top of his list, partly because many of his friends went there and the city offers great living conditions, but also because the university offers students an opportunity to earn a Bachelor of Laws degree in addition to the German state examination in law.

The World Is His Oyster

The Bachelor of Laws is more widely recognized internationally than the German state examination. That opens up possibilities in case he wants to return to Egypt or go somewhere else altogether.

In fact, Nadim not only has options in Germany and Egypt, but also in the USA. After four semesters at Freie Universität, he attended the University of California San Francisco for one year. “There I chose the courses that I would need to take the bar exam in California,” explains Nadim. “So if I pass it, I could also be admitted to the bar there.”

The awards committee chose Nadim not only for his outstanding academic achievements both in Germany and the USA, but also in recognition of his ongoing commitment to social issues and his community. While he was still in high school, Nadim was class representative several times and was active on the student council. He also rolled up his sleeves to help out in social projects during Ramadan, the month of fasting observed by Muslims. “When I was still living in Cairo, I took part in food drives every year during Ramadan. We collected staple foods and other groceries for people in need and helped to distribute them.”

Sharing Muslim Traditions

While Nadim was in California, he was involved in the university’s Muslim student organization. During Ramadan he organized Iftar gatherings to break the fast after sunset. He says, “Those evenings were extremely important, especially for the international students who were Muslim. They really felt the need for community during the holy month.”

Non-Muslim students were also always welcome at the fast-breaking celebrations. “It was an opportunity to share Muslim traditions with others so that we could strengthen a sense of togetherness among students from a variety of different backgrounds, religions, and cultures,” Nadim says.

In the upcoming spring/summer semester, Nadim plans to start the review course to prepare for the first state exam in Germany. He feels that the DAAD Prize is an ideal incentive: “The award gives me an extra motivational boost to prepare for the exams.”

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The original German version of this article appeared in campus.leben, the online magazine published by Freie Universität Berlin.