In 2021 Temitope got a place at a Ukrainian university and began her studies in medicine. But when war in the Ukraine broke out in 2022, she saw her plans crumble. ‘I was one of the fortunate ones and was able to move to Germany, but I had to start my life over again. Choosing Germany was initially a leap of faith, but looking back, I am very grateful, because it was the right decision.’
She learned German to B1 level but needed C1 to be able to apply for a German-taught degree programme. ‘I didn’t want to take another year or two to get to that level and then start a degree in medicine from scratch – assuming I would get a place. I wanted to move forward in my life, so I looked for English-taught bachelor programmes and found Information Engineering. And HAW Hamburg, which immediately appealed to me because of its strong focus on applied sciences and its close connection to industry.’
Chosen initially because it was taught in English, Temitope has come to love information engineering because it sits at the intersection of software, systems, and engineering, allowing her to develop both analytical thinking and technical problem-solving skills. She really enjoys the technical side of her degree programme and mathematics in particular, even if classes often push her to dig deeper. ‘Mathematics has always been my favourite subject, so I initially thought MATH 1 and MATH 2 would be a walk in the park. I quickly realized how wrong I was. The level of abstraction and depth challenged me in ways I had never experienced before. However, with consistent effort and the constant support of my professor, I was able to overcome those challenges and get very good grades. This experience perfectly captures what I enjoy most about my studies at HAW Hamburg: the programme challenges me academically, but at the same time provides strong support systems that help students succeed.’
