Norina loves the challenge and Paderborn
Paderborn, Hanoi, Barcelona, Kumasi, Shanghai, Berlin - Norina is a real globetrotter. She likes getting to know new places and cultures and despite all her visits to the world's metropolises, she has fallen in love with Paderborn. The Master's graduate in International Business Studies (IBS) currently works in Berlin as a research assistant in the German Bundestag and helps shape policy in her work.
Norina studied, lived and volunteered at Paderborn University for five years. After leaving school, she didn't know exactly what she wanted to do: "I've always had an affinity for languages, but I also wanted to do something tangible. IBS seemed just right for me and that was offered at Paderborn University." So she travelled from Mülheim an der Ruhr to Paderborn, from the Pott to East Westphalia. But Norina was pleasantly surprised: "I never expected to have so many opportunities to develop."
Seizing opportunities, gaining experience
And Norina knew how to utilise these opportunities: In her Bachelor's degree in IBS, she went to the Vietnamese partner university in Hanoi in the third semester. A year later, she completed a six-month internship at thyssenkrupp System Engineering in Barcelona. In her Master's degree, she took part in the ASBE programme1 and spent a semester in Shanghai, China.
And that's not all: Norina was involved in the IBS student council throughout her studies and at times also in the General Students' Committee (AStA). She organised the TEDxUniPaderborn conference and was involved in the Startup Factory Ghana project, which also took her to Kumasi for a fortnight. "You don't spend time abroad and do voluntary work for your CV," says the 25-year-old quite clearly. "You do it for yourself, because it enriches you immensely."
Paderborn convinces
"Paderborn University is special. Everyone knows everyone, there are countless events, something is always being organised - the campus is really lively and I was always happy to be at university," Norina enthuses about her time as a student. "Paderborn is great because it's not that big; you just keep bumping into each other." She found it easy to make friends, get to know new people and network.
For the Berliner-by-choice, the personal interaction between professors and lecturers and students was particularly surprising: "You can really tell that they care about the students. It may sound cheesy, but you can feel that every student wants to make something special out of their studies and themselves."
Making the world a better place
Norina is definitely doing something special. She sees her position as a research assistant in the Bundestag as a "great adventure". For a member of the Bundestag who sits on the committees for tourism and legal and consumer protection, she is responsible for content creation, among other things, and therefore for preparing the content of motions. Her research experience and analytical skills from her studies help her to recognise problems and find solutions. And, of course, perseverance. In her job as a research assistant in the office of a member of parliament in the German Bundestag, she actively helps to shape events in the Bundestag and thus politics in Germany.
"I would like to go into politics. But it's difficult to get a foot in the door." That's why Norina sees her future in business. Perhaps as a personnel developer in a company or even as a founder herself. Working with people is important to her and energises her. She also has many visions and ideas, always under her life motto: "Making the world a better place."
1"Asian Studies in Business and Economics" (ASBE): a specialisation that can be integrated into any of our Master's degree programmes with a study visit to a partner university in Asia.
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Discover the diversity of economics in our Bachelor's degree programmes. Each degree programme usually lasts six semesters and prepares you for a career start or a postgraduate Master's degree.
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- about the Bachelor's degree programme in International Business Studies
- to the cooperation network in the field of economics
- to the Asian Studies in Business and Economics Programme (ASBE)
