Alumni Talk with Lys Ziebell
Two days ago, another online European Studies Alumni Talk took place. We would like to sincerely thank everyone for their active participation and the open exchange.
The focus was on our alumna Lys Ziebell. She traced her path from the beginning of her studies to her current position as a Gender Consultant, highlighting how strongly academic profile-building can shape one’s later career.
Lys moved from Lübeck to Magdeburg in 2016 to begin her Bachelor’s degree in European Studies. At that time, her interests were still broad. A semester abroad at the Metropolitan University in Prague, which she highly recommends, as well as language courses in Russian and Spanish, broadened her perspective on European and international contexts.
With the transition to the Master’s program, her academic profile became more defined. She made particular use of the opportunity to choose topics individually in group and research projects as well as in term papers, allowing her to engage intensively with gender equality policy, for example, in the module EU Policy Cycle. At the same time, she gained practical experience: as a student research assistant, she supported Ms. Samostyan and also worked as a freelance staff member for the State Agency for Civic Education in the field of social media.
A decisive step followed in 2020 with the founding of the association “Wir sehen hin e. V.” together with Janina Hofmann, also an alumna of the Bachelor’s program in European Studies. The association aims to raise awareness of sexualized violence in the Magdeburg area and to give a voice to those affected. Through this work, Lys deepened her commitment to gender equality and ultimately devoted her Master’s thesis to international standards for gender equality and their implementation at the state level.
Shortly before completing her Master’s degree, the second funding phase of the project “FEM Power” at Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg began. Since June, Lys has been working there as a Gender Consultant. Her current responsibilities include the conceptual and strategic development of gender equality measures – competencies she had already strengthened during her studies through research projects and her Master’s thesis. She was also able to refer directly to this academic work during the application process. Looking ahead, she sees diverse career opportunities in the field of gender equality, whether in NGOs, the private sector, or as an equal opportunities officer.
Her message to the students was particularly impactful: her specific professional interest only developed over the course of her studies. What proved crucial was the opportunity to build an academic profile, set personal priorities, and develop a professional identity based on them. Those who make use of this opportunity can also find a suitable professional position in Germany. Anyone who was unable to attend or who has further questions is warmly invited to join the next session on 3 March 2026.