German graduate returns to Teesside twenty years on

A German graduate who hit the headlines when he first arrived at Teesside University as part of a unique government scholarship 20 years ago returned to the campus with old friends to reminisce about the past.

Thomas Drews, from Salzwedel in north Germany, was featured in the regional press in 1990 when he was selected as one of 31 students offered a year-long scholarship from the British Government after the collapse of the Berlin Wall.

He originally studied mechanical engineering but opted for an MSc 3D Computer-Aided Graphical Technology at Teesside in order to widen his engineering background from an arts perspective.

Thomas, who now works as a Senior Systems Engineer for Imperva in his native Germany, visited Teesside University in May with two of his fellow scholarship students, Christoph Gobel, who is now Chief Executive Officer of multi-national German firm Tuev-Sued and Johannes Pforr, an eminent Professor of Engineering and Physics from Ingolstadt University.

The trio came to see the major developments Teesside University has undertaken in the last two decades and were pleasantly surprised with what they saw.

Thomas said: 'What I noticed at first was the sheer size of the University with all the new buildings – the campus has improved so much.

'After we visited some of the learning facilities and studios we were joking about coming back for yet another postgraduate course, just because we were so impressed.

'It was a very exciting experience. Sarah Irving did a fantastic job in preparing and hosting our visit and we got a great overview of the University and its facilities, as well as its recent changes.'

The bold move to study in a new country has certainly left its mark on Thomas who credits Teesside University with boosting his own development.

He added: 'First of all it allowed me to jump into a leading western democracy and quickly find my way around.

'Then I had the chance to broaden my horizons dramatically - studying and living with people from many nationalities.

'Last, but not least, I gained a good command of the English language and a master’s degree from England was of immense value when starting my career.

'From the very beginning I always felt very welcome with the students and also the staff.

'The atmosphere was a bit like a big family.

'The staff were always very supportive to me, which meant a lot having come from abroad.'

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