280 graduates say farewell

In May, Frankfurt School bid farewell to 280 graduates from the Bachelor of Science, Executive MBA and MBA in International Healthcare Management programmes. Joined by their families and friends, they came together at the Alte Oper Frankfurt, celebrated and enjoyed dinner together. Programme managers Malte Schudlich and Dr Barbara Drexler moderated the event.

FS President Professor Nils Stieglitz congratulated the graduates: “Today marks the end of a journey. In strengthening your competencies and knowledge, your outlook on life has changed. In our unsettling world, you have demonstrated that change is not to be feared but embraced. We are proud of your achievements and thank you for your contributions to the FS Community. Congratulations to the Class of 2022.”

FS alumnus Jasper Hanebuth, CFO at Barclays Europe, was the guest of honour. He highlighted the importance of preparing for opportunities and shared some reflections on his time studying at Frankfurt School. Jasper Hanebuth completed his Executive MBA at Frankfurt School in 2017.

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 the Bachelor of Science graduates Paul Metzler (first place), Gloria Theresa Fachinger (second place), and Pablo Julian Ruf (third place).

After the main graduation ceremony, Professor Claus Rerup, Vice President Academic Affairs at FS, presented Frankfurt School’s Award for Academic Excellence to the top graduates from all three programmes: Paul Metzler (Bachelor of Science), Eugenio Marengo (EMBA), Dennis Samusch (MBA in International Healthcare Management).

Looking back on a unique period of study, welcome to the FS alumni network

In their closing speeches, graduates Sofie Sharaf (Bachelor in Business Administration), Martin Gunkel (EMBA) and Dennis Samusch (MBA in International Healthcare Management) reviewed their time studying at FS. Sofie Sharaf said, “We have celebrated our achievements together, cheered us on, when we needed help and inspired each other.” Martin Gunkel also reveled in memories and thanked his fellow students. For 18 months they studied in the Executive MBA - an extraordinary time, as Gunkel recounts: “I think it is probably safe to say that our Executive MBA cohort has seen some of the most difficult times compared to other Frankfurt School cohorts graduating before. Consequently, a fitting slogan of our cohort was Dealing with Uncertainty. With an active war raging in Europe, Covid still shaking the world, and the general rise of tensions between the East and the West.” Studying the MBA in International Healthcare Management has also brought the students closer together. Dennis Samusch, for example, told us, ”I have not only learned a lot in the past 20 months and became the best version of myself but also made 35 new friends.”

Frankfurt School’s Head of Student & Alumni Affairs Lisa Ronneburger invited the graduates to join Frankfurt School’s alumni network, emphasising that “the Graduation Ceremony is by no means a farewell, but rather a see you soon”. As part of the FS community, they can stay in touch with Frankfurt School after graduation as participants in national and international events, enrich their network and knowledge and make a valuable contribution to the business school, for example as a mentor, speaker, friend.