Immaculata Baradyana

What was the best thing about studying at Jacobs University?

People are definitely the best part of Jacobs. Everybody I met during my studies taught me something I didn't know before - a new culture, a new perspective, a new solution to an existing problem, and even a new language.

It is both, an excellent academic institution and a cultural immersion paradise.

Tell us about campus life at Jacobs

I was very involved in the community/student life at Jacobs. During my studies, I sang with Mzuka - the African choir, organised the Spotlight talent competition, and even joined the women's rowing team. Out of all the activities I was a part of, the rowing team definitely stands out as the most memorable of them all. If it weren't for Jacobs, I would never have had this somewhat short but very fulfilling stint as a college athlete.

Please describe your career journey so far and your current role.

Currently, I'm a Product Manager at the ION Group - an international software company. At ION, I design business automation software and manage a multi-asset cloud and on-premises solution for commodity trading, business intelligence, and analytics. Prior to ION, I interned at the Vollers Group and Daimler/Mercedes Benz in Bremen, and at Amazon Germany in Munich.

How did your time at Jacobs influence your career?

My time at Jacobs influenced my career in two profound ways.

First, I didn’t know what I wanted to study going into college. I wanted to learn a bit of everything. While I ended up studying Industrial Engineering, Jacobs' transdisciplinary curriculum gave me the tools to navigate and understand different perspectives. This approach has made a huge difference in my career as a Product Manager where cross-functional collaboration skills are crucial.

Second, my time at Jacobs taught me to live and collaborate with people from 100+ nationalities thus transforming me into both, an intercultural collaboration ninja and a global citizen.

Did your internship during your studies help you get your career started?

Yes, absolutely. During my studies, we visited a commodity logistics company and I ended up interning at the firm as a commodities supply chain analyst during my third year. I then wrote my bachelor thesis with the company focusing on supply chain collaboration in commodity trading. A couple of months after graduation, I was hired at ION as a software product manager for a commodities trading and risk management solution.

My time at Jacobs not only prepared me academically, but also equipped me with the relevant practical experiences to pursue my career post graduation.