Volunteering
Alongside my professional work I have been involved in civic life since 2018, from local youth organisations to the Friedrich Naumann Foundation and Fulbright Alumni.
My first civic engagement: a local youth forum representing the political will of youth in the Altenburg district. I found it the old-school way, through a newspaper announcement.
Together we visited the Lindenaumuseum Altenburg and met Dr. Roland Krischke, who told us about plans to redesign the museum and let us share our opinions. JFA helped me connect to Stadtmensch Altenburg and secure a scholarship at the Friedrich Naumann Foundation.
Community initiative to make Altenburg more vibrant. I contributed design work and attended monthly planning sessions for about 1.5 years, helping prepare the first festival.
I attended each monthly meeting, discussing ideas and bringing my perspective. With the help of Stadtmensch I realised the first Code+Design Camp in the city. We also visited partner projects across Germany, including a trip to Munster for workshops and idea exchanges. I stopped volunteering when I moved to Hamburg in September 2020.
Non-profit founded to teach coding and design to students aged 12 to 18. I attended camps in Berlin and Bonn, then organised the first camp in Altenburg with major media coverage.
Founded by, among others, Tom Bachem of CODE University. I attended a camp in Berlin in 2019 and another in Bonn. The Altenburg camp received wide attention: several newspapers, a radio spot, MDR TV, and local politicians from the Erfurter Landtag all visited. One memorable moment: Telekom CEO Tim Hottges stood right behind me and asked our team to present, then showed us photos of a very similar concept he had seen in India.
Hamburg marketing association and my entry point into Hamburg's professional community. Also my first real experience of formalised Verein structures in Germany.
I joined after moving to Hamburg and missing the volunteering aspect of my life. The club held a get-to-know event at Brand University Hamburg. This was my first real exposure to German Verein formalities: the President, Treasurer, and Mitgliederversammlungen. I also met my former employer Sherpa Design here, through Henning Klimczak and Christian Schonheit.
Part of the World Economic Forum's global youth network, the Hamburg Hub connects young changemakers working on local and global challenges.
Details to be added. Part of the network since 2021.
Co-led the Entrepreneurs at FNF initiative for two years: organising 10+ weekend seminars, onboarding new scholarship holders, and connecting 200 to 300 stipend holders around startups.
I got to know the volunteer network in 2021. We organised weekend seminars and remote sessions during the pandemic, connecting scholarship holders around startups through our Startup Bootcamp series. I was the only designer among the 200 to 300 stipend holders in the cohort. The network also connected me to the idea for the outreach behind the Ferblick project.
A short-lived student investment society, co-founded with peers met at Virginia Tech. A candid lesson: motivation built on prestige rather than genuine impact does not last.
The idea came from Lilly, whom I met at the Virginia Tech Summer School. We officially founded the Verein and I built the domain, PowerPoint master, logo and all the branding. The project dissolved quickly once all three peers started new jobs. The main learning: the motivation was solely my own networking success and prestige, not doing something genuinely good for other students.
Alumni association of Brand Academy Hamburg. A regular member from 2023 until the association was sunsetted in 2026 due to limited activity.
A standard alumni membership during my time after graduation. The association was wound down in 2026.
XR industry network in Hamburg. I joined after a keynote at my university, then helped organise the Nextreality Festival 2025 in both organisation and moderation.
Simon Graff did a guest keynote at our university in November 2022 at the height of the Metaverse hype. At the after-party of the Nextreality Contest, he connected me to my next employer, Spherie GmbH, where I worked and wrote my Bachelor Thesis. I stayed in the Verein, attending afterwork events and panel discussions, and joined the Nextreality Festival 2025 moderation team.
Supporting the Friends of the Kunsthalle Hamburg as a passive member since 2024. Attends events every couple of months and enjoys free entry to the museum.
No active role, but included here for a complete history. Nothing special, but a natural step after settling into Hamburg life.
Joined the German Fulbright alumni network in late 2024 and co-host Fulbright Pulse, interviewing notable alumni to share their stories and inspire future applicants.
I joined a year after my Fulbright experience, attending the Spring Ball 2025 and the Mitgliederversammlung to understand the organisation from its core. I immediately applied to co-host Fulbright Pulse, speaking to great personalities from the network. I explicitly chose a non-design role to diversify beyond my professional work. Already interviewed: Anne von Fallois, Alexandra Swanson, and Hannah Eve Rothbard.
