Aitana Orrego Martínez Receives DAAD Prize

Attending the German School in Lima was the key to studying in Germany, which was a long-term goal of Aitana. “I did my Abitur with the intention of studying in Germany afterwards. I went to Germany for the first time at the age of 14 as part of a school exchange and saw this stay as preparation for my studies,” explains the student. When choosing her program, she was particularly impressed by the quantitative focus of the bachelor's program in Political Science at the University of Mannheim and the opportunity to take many courses in English. “The university's excellent ranking results also played a decisive role for me,” says the 21-year-old.

Alongside her studies, she participated in a variety of activities at the University of Mannheim: She was actively involved in acquiring speakers for the student organization “Mannheim Forum”. Together with her fellow students, she organized conferences with participants from politics, business and society. She also supported the International Office by moderating the Welcome Week for international students. “Contributing to a common cause, especially volunteering, has always been important to me. That's why I did a federal voluntary service in Germany before I went to university. During this time, I could get used to the country and improve my German language skills,” says the student.

Project Inspires Future Plans

While Aitana was an intern at the Peruvian embassy in Berlin, where she worked on translation and research tasks, the company Inflotec contacted her. Inflotec improves drinking water supplies worldwide with innovative technologies and is supported by the EU and the Land of Saxony-Anhalt. The student volunteered for several months at Inflotec and helped to improve communication with the Peruvian business partners. “Working at Inflotec has had the biggest influence on me up to now,” she says. “I feel great when I see that a district on the outskirts of Lima now has a better water supply thanks to this collaboration.”

Working on this project, has pointed her into the direction she wants to pursue in the future: “I would like to work in international development cooperation, especially in the field of financial collaboration. For this reason, I am currently completing an internship at the Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW Development Bank) in Frankfurt in the North Africa energy sector team.”

For Aitana, it was important to gain as much experience as possible from her time as a student. “But studying and gaining practical experience at the same time was sometimes very stressful and I have the feeling that I put a lot of pressure on myself,” she says. She was all the more delighted when she found out that she had won the DAAD prize, now that she is at the end of her bachelor's degree: “I am very happy about all the knowledge I was able to acquire in Mannheim and about the university recognizing my achievements with the DAAD prize.”

Support from the University

The DAAD prize was awarded on 28 June 2024 as part of the graduation ceremony of the School of Social Sciences. “Aitana's commitment and willingness to support others in a wide variety of areas is extremely impressive,” says Angela Dörflinger from the International Office and member of the selection committee. “To demonstrate such a high level of social, intercultural and political commitment at the age of 21, while continuing to deliver outstanding academic achievements, particularly impressed the selection committee.”

Life in Mannheim at the Rhine or Neckar in summer, the city center with everything in walking distance, and the family atmosphere at the university: For Aitana, there are many things she loves about Mannheim. When she does get homesick, Aitana can rely on her friends. Some of her friends also come from Latin America and give her a little bit of a feeling of home. “Mannheim is very suitable for international students, as you can quickly get in contact with other students and always receive support from the university,” she explains. The International Office in particular was a great help with questions about studying and life in Mannheim, for which she is very grateful. 

Although Aitana misses her home country and especially her family very much, she definitely wants to stay here in Germany or Europe after completing her bachelor's degree. “The feeling of home comes automatically when you have the right people around you and can rely on them,” she emphasizes.

Text: Pascale Tamburini / April 2025