663 graduates celebrate their graduation

“While we can postpone celebrations, we should never forget to hold them eventually. Warmest congratulations to all former students who graduated in 2020.” With these words Professor Jörg R. Werner, Frankfurt School’s Vice President Degree Programmes and moderator of the graduation ceremony, welcomed all 663 graduates from 2020 to the event, held last week in Frankfurt’s famous Alte Oper (Old Opera House).

Of course they should have celebrated their graduation back in December 2020, but the coronavirus pandemic gave Frankfurt School no option but to postpone the ceremony. This gave graduates of the Master of Finance, Master in Applied Data Science, Master in Management, Master of Mergers & Acquisitions, Master of Financial Law, Master in Auditing, Master of Leadership in Development Finance, Bachelor in Finance & Management and other degree programmes – including MBA programmes – all the more reason to come together with their families and former fellow students. Due to ongoing COVID-related restrictions on large-scale events, the actual ceremony took the form of multiple smaller events for each of the programmes. Accompanied by their families, 344 graduates then attended the large reunion at the Alte Oper, while many more took part online.

Successes, congratulations and opportunities

Frankfurt School President Professor Nils Stieglitz also congratulated the graduates, emphasising the many opportunities arising as a result of all the changes over the last year and a half: “Changes always offer us new opportunities. Be alert to these opportunities and be sure to seize them – be curious, and above all, be confident in everything you undertake.”

FS alumnus Stefan Hafke, Citi Country Officer Germany, was the honorary guest speaker at the MBA celebration, and had this to say: “Keep an open mind, seize your opportunities, take on new challenges and always have your goals in mind. Your future is in your hands.“

Once again Dr Horst Müller, Chairman of the Board of the Prof. Dr. Karl Fr. Hagenmüller Foundation, personally presented the Prof. Dr. Karl Friedrich Hagenmüller Prize, complete with EUR 4,000 endowment, to the top graduate of the Bachelor in Finance & Management programme, Franziska Prüßner. “My warm congratulations to Franziska Prüßner, who, by attaining an overall grade of 1.1 and thus qualifying as the top graduate of Frankfurt School’s 2020 Bachelor of Arts programmes in 2020, has been awarded the Hagenmüller Prize,” said Dr Müller. “She now works for Volksbank Herford-Mindener Land eG, and I wish her all the very best in her future career.”

This year also saw the return of Interessengemeinschaft Frankfurter Kreditinstitute (IFK), ready to celebrate outstanding achievements by graduates. Sarah Schmidtke, IFK’s Managing Director, presented awards – endowed with between EUR 1,000 and EUR 3,000 – to Lukas Ferdinand Petry, Master in Management (in first place), Severin Wiedmann, Master of Finance (in second place), and Riccardo Silvestri, Master in Management (in third place).

Jan Löffler, Executive Vice President HR & Integrity at NORMA Group, presented this year’s Manufacturing Management Awards to Jonathan Hartel, Aurelia Auracher, Mudasir Wazir and Tram Nguyen Phuong Le. The NORMA Group has funded Frankfurt School’s Manufacturing Management Award since 2014. A Frankfurt School committee chaired by Professor Jochen Schlapp evaluated the students’ theses in terms of their topical relevance to the manufacturing industry, the value of their results for practical application, and their specific recommendations for action, as well as the quality of the underlying scientific methodology.

After the main graduation ceremony, Professor Jörg Werner presented Frankfurt School’s Award for Academic Excellence to the top graduates from all ten programmes: Severin Wiedmann (Master of Finance), Lukas Ferdinand Petry (Master in Management), Felix Schmid (Master in Applied Data Science), Christoph Böckhaus (Master of Mergers & Acquisitions), Vivien Lohner (Master of Financial Law), Carmen Lechelt (Master in Auditing), Rebecca Weber (Master of Leadership in Development Finance), Ahmad Mounib Bohsali (Full-time MBA), Felix Maria Dannich (Part-time MBA), and Franziska Prüßner (Bachelor in Finance & Management).

Looking back over one’s time as a student; looking forward to the FS Alumni network

In their closing speeches, graduates Vivien Sell (Master of Finance), Jan Frederik Spoerer (Master in Applied Data Science), Lisa Duwald (Master of Financial Law), Florian Maisch (Master in Auditing), Denise Jungblut (FT MBA), Aslam Khadaroo (PT MBA), Loreno Bartra Soto (Master in Management) and Stephan Schneider (Bachelor in Finance & Management) reviewed their time as students at Frankfurt School. Loreno Bartra Soto, for example, confirmed that: “Our studies at Frankfurt School prepared us to take the next big steps in our lives and to face new challenges.” Vivien Sell also expressed her gratitude: “I’d like to say a big thank-you to everyone who encouraged, supported and helped us on our way – our professors and the entire faculty, our families and friends. And warm thanks, of course, to all my fellow graduates for the wonderful time we had together. We can all be proud of ourselves!” Stephan Schneider based his speech on a quote by New Age author Neale Donald Walsch, reminding his listeners that: “Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.”

Finally, Frankfurt School’s Development Director Carsten Vogel invited all the new graduates to join Frankfurt School’s alumni network. As part of the FS Community, alumni can continue to make valuable contributions to the business school even after graduating, as mentors, speakers, friends or sparring partners. “We’d like to ensure you stay in the loop and remain part of our wonderful network,” he said. “Let’s all stay in touch!”