Pauline and Deniz, what led you to your StugA participation?

Deniz: I moved to Bremen in 2023 to study geography and law. I obviously didn’t know anyone at first. During orientation week, the geography StugA introduced themselves and said they were looking for volunteers, so I joined right away and have now been helping out for almost three years.

Pauline: I served on the student council at my school and enjoyed organizing projects there, and the tasks in StugA seemed similar. It also seemed like a great way to connect with other students and get to know upper-level students. I am pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Vocational Education - Nursing Science, and our StugA represents all nursing degree programs. That means interacting with a lot of different people.

What responsibilities have you taken on and what have they taught you?

Deniz: A few years ago, I brought back the Christmas party that had been on hiatus due to the pandemic, and also introduced the use of Nextcloud to our StugA. My most recent role was being in charge of finances. I have also participated in many committee meetings, which always requires some preparation and follow-up work. Through this, I learned a lot about how university administration works. It was very valuable for me, as I am planning to become a city and regional developer. You also gain valuable experience in work organization, event management, teamwork, and communication. In any case, the StugA thrives on your own level of commitment and ability to adapt to, and sometimes help create, new structures. I think it’s excellent preparation for a future career.

Pauline: During the first year, I participated unofficially. I tagged along, listening and observing how it all works. Then I started taking on tasks myself and decided to participate more officially and was elected to the StugA in the 2025/26 winter semester. My responsibilities include managing our email inbox, where students regularly send us all kinds of questions. I also help organize orientation week and our round table, where we bring teaching staff and students together to discuss how things are going with teaching and degree progress. And my most recent task has been overseeing the Instagram account stuga_pflegewissenschaft with a fellow student. You learn a lot about how organizations run, but also how to manage your own time and resources.

What challenges have you experienced working as a student representative?

Deniz: Since people come and go so often and the student representatives govern themselves, there is no one there to tell us how it all works – we get to figure that out on our own. There are some records, but one-on-one onboarding is invaluable. Sometimes that works well, but not always. At times I wished for more guidance. On the other hand, each StugA also has a lot of leeway with how it distributes tasks. However, our right to participate in committees and manage our own budget also comes with responsibilities that shouldn’t be underestimated.

Pauline: One challenge we face is that everyone studying in our programs has already completed vocational training, which means that most of them are in a different stage of life than students who have just finished high school. Our StugA tries to enhance the university experience by organizing events like a Christmas party and a joint visit to the Christmas market. I think the work required of student representatives is often unseen and unrecognized, although we offer many services and advocate for students’ interests.

What skills should someone have if they want to participate as a student representative?

Deniz: They should have realistic expectations about what the StugA can achieve. Administrative processes can be quite slow and you often have to figure out how things work on your own. This requires taking responsibility and actively contributing. And you definitely should have a clear idea of why you want to do this work. If you do, it can be very educational and rewarding. For me, it sparked an interest in higher education policy. After working in the StugA for more than five semesters, I have started participating in higher education policy projects. I plan to launch a video series about politics at the university and student work beginning in the 2026/27 winter semester.

Pauline: You should certainly be neutral and open to everyone, regardless of their personal opinions or preferences. As StugA members, we represent the students, which means we need to be open-minded, willing to listen, kind, and patient. However, you don’t need to be an extrovert or have a lot of free time. Everyone can contribute in their own way. But resilience – especially when things don’t go as quickly or smoothly as expected – is certainly beneficial.

I’d recommend just giving it a try. There’s no contract or obligation. You can see whether working as a student representative suits you.

How can I contact my StugA?

If you would like to be active as a student representative, or find out more about the work your student representatives are doing, you’ll find a list of all StugAs on the University of Bremen’s website (only available in German). Their social media accounts are linked there as well.