Every year, members of the residential colleges on campus nominate and honour one student within their college with the person of the year award. This person has to have shown exceptional altruism and an understanding of the needs of their community in the past academic year. This person plays an integral role not only in their colleges, but also Jacobs University as a whole.
We spoke to Edgardo from Nordmetall, Christofer from Krupp, Lena from C3 and Saad from Mercator on what it felt like to win this award for their colleges and what it means to them.
Edgardo José Reyes Martínez (mexico) | BSC Biochemistry and cell biology | Class of 2020
1. How long have you been a part of Nordmetall?
I have been here for all three years.
2. What does it feel like to have won the person of the year award for your college?
Oh, my goodness, it felt like the perfect culmination of my three years in Jacobs, and most precisely in Nordmetall. Since I first arrived in Jacobs and I found the pictures and names of the previous residents of the year on every college, I just felt that being in such a spot should be something so very special for those people. They would pass on to be remembered with their portraits as the peer-voted student of the year. It just made me thrilled and I always wished to be able to make it there. Besides, not a lot of Latin American people had won this award, so finally having the honour of being voted as such, is THE perfect enclosure of my college years in this university.
3. What motivates you to dedicate yourself to the college community?
There really isn’t a specific event or situation that motivated me to go ahead and help my community, but rather just a natural, intrinsic willingness to go around and give myself out to the aid and serve of others. I think I just enjoy helping my neighbour, and Jacobs was the perfect place to practice this virtue.
4. How do you think your role in your residential college integrates with the larger Jacobs community?
I know how many events in this university allows the different residential colleges to compete with one another, and that is okay! But I myself always saw the entire community as one big whole; not as four colours, but rather a big international Jacobs community. I do feel very proud of Nordmetall, but I always tried to have as much interaction and involvement with people from other colleges as possible, as well as participating in non-college events, like Piano to Forte, Spotlight, Jacobs Way, Open Mic nights and O-Week organizing. I think this has led to a better integration of not only me, but the entire community in general.
5. If there’s one thing you could change about your college, what would it be?
Nordmetall really has great residents, however, during many events, only a small portion of them would step forward to participate in events. This is sad, since we have the biggest community, but the smallest amount of active participants on every event. This makes that a 10% of the college members, have to give a 1000% of their efforts to compete against the other colleges. This is something I’d really change, since it’s sad to see so much unrewarded effort from the Nordies.
6. Finally, if you could live in a different college than you live in now, which would it be and why?
I would definitely choose Krupp College. It is well localized on campus, it has a great spirit, amazing people, an open servery at all times; enough silence to study well, but enough groove to have fun too, red is a nice colour and high competitiveness for events.
Christofer Castro (USA) | BA International Relations: Politics and History | Class of 2020
1. How long have you been a part of Krupp?
I have been living here since January 2017.
2. What does it feel like to have won the person of the year award for your college?
Winning the person of the year award for Krupp College was a humbling experience that helped reinforce the notion that the little things really matter. Sometimes you can’t solve the big problems, but you can always be there for your friends and neighbours. I’m just happy to have had a positive impact on Krupp College during my time here; most of the time, it felt like my friends were keeping me sane and the college gave me a place to call home, but, really, it’s a two-way street.
3. What motivates you to dedicate yourself to the college community?
To me, as a student away from his family, Krupp College has been my home; as common as that answer is, here at Jacobs University, it’s the truth. When you’re abroad, the friends that you make are your family; that’s what my father told me before I left. But I also wanted to share this feeling of home and security with the people around me, so I got involved in the Krupp community, applied to the College Office, and tried my best.
4. How do you think your role in your residential college integrates with the larger Jacobs community?
I think that, as college office members, we are meant to serve as role models, not only for Krupp, Mercator, C3, or Nord, but for Jacobs as a whole; we should embody the intercultural attitude that Jacobs founds itself on; Working in the college office, it’s not your country or culture that sets up events and welcome back dinner; it’s teamwork and grit.
5. If there’s one thing you could change about your college, what would it be?
If I had to change one thing about Krupp College, I would change its name to Krupp F. College. What the “F” stands for, who knows? What matters is that our mascot’s always been mistaken, justifiably so, for a chicken, so we should accept the label and go the whole nine yards. I’m talking a KFC sponsorship. But jokes aside, if I had to change something about Krupp, I would change its housing capacity, so that all Kruppies that left abroad for 5th semester at least had the option to live on campus for their last semester.
6. Finally, if you could live in a different college than you live in now, which would it be and why?
You know, funnily enough, when filling out the housing form before coming to Jacobs University, I listed C3 as my first preference, and then Krupp. But, I think I would choose Mercator for their good vibes and chill atmosphere. Plus, Adilah’s pretty cool.
Lena Held (Germany) | BSC Intelligent Mobile Systems | Class of 2020
1. How long have you been a part of C3?
I’ve been part of this community since 2017.
2. What does it feel like to have won the person of the year award for your college?
It feels amazing. I was very surprised at first as I really didn't expect to be nominated, let alone actually win the C3 student of the year award. However, the acknowledgment I received from the C3 community makes me simply happy.
3. What motivates you to dedicate yourself to the college community?
I never consciously dedicated myself to the community. I simply helped out when I saw that help was needed. I share my interests with others and thus create a space for people with similar interests.
4. How do you think your role in your residential college integrates with the larger Jacobs community?
In my experience, the Jacobs Community has always offered me a helping hand when I was in need of one. So, I return the favour whenever possible.
5. If there’s one thing you could change about your college, what would it be?
It has been said before but: Treat the college as if it's your own room: Keep it clean!
6. Finally, if you could live in a different college than you live in now, which would it be and why?
I wouldn't want to live in any other college. C3 has become my home in the last three years and even with its flaws I wouldn't change it for anything else.
Saad Sohail Ijaz (Pakistan) | BSc Electrical and Computer Engineering | Class of 2020
1. How long have you been a part of Mercator?
I have resided in Mercator for the entirety of these three years.
2. What does it feel like to have won the person of the year award for your college?
Winning the Mercatorian of the Year award was a form of recognition for all the efforts I made to enhance the college spirit and to make this college an amazing place for everyone. I started participating in events early on for Mercator, and with time developed a certain love towards everything and anything revolving this college.
3. What motivates you to dedicate yourself to the college community?
The biggest factors were definitely my dorm mates and the college office team, who made their best effort to make the college office an inclusive place for all.
4. How do you think your role in your residential college integrates with the larger Jacobs community?
I have always loved being part of events, in both management and participation aspects and hence, I was always actively volunteering. I have always tried to bring people with multiple ideas on a single table to form something unique and I applied the same strategy in all the events I was an organiser of (such as Dancestoned and ArtOn!).
5. If there’s one thing you could change about your college, what would it be?
I would definitely love to have the Mercator Movie Nights again as they were a highlight of my first two semesters here in Mercator.
6. Finally, if you could live in a different college than you live in now, which would it be and why?
This question is slightly tough but I think I’ll choose Nord because I feel like Nord has some amazing people, like all the other colleges and I would have mingled with them very well.
BY USHASHI BASU (INDIA) | CLASS OF 2020
