Alumni Circle Interview: Katharina Nolte
Katharina Nolte graduated from Maastricht University with a Bachelor (2011) and Master (2012) in European Studies. In 2013, she started her professional career at the Federal Foreign Office in Berlin. Since April 2023, she has been working at the Konrad Adenauer Foundation in the Department for European and International Cooperation, where she is responsible for the foundation's international dialogue programmes in the Middle East and North Africa as well as in the area of climate and energy resources.
Can you tell us about the Berlin alumni circle?
With a population of 3.8 million, Berlin is a vibrant city that attracts people from all over the world. The alumni events in Berlin are regularly among the best-attended in the entire UM alumni community. The absolute classics of our circle are the annual beer garden event in summer and the traditional Christmas market event, which a lot of alumni do not want to miss. In addition, Berlin is a regular venue for the UM Star Lecture. To complete the picture, we regularly organise business, cultural, political and historical events (e.g. a tour of Berlin's closed Tempelhof Airport) and always welcome ideas and suggestions from our community. We use social media and messaging services to stay in touch and I invite all UM alumni in Berlin to join us there. The Facebook group Maastricht University Berlin Alumni Circle has more than 750 members. However, we mainly use our steadily growing Whatsapp group, which currently has more than 110 members. We are very happy to be able to continue our activities in 2023 after the long involuntary COVID-break of the last years. So, Berlin-based alumni, mark Wednesday 28 June in your calendars, because the next open-air beer garden event is just around the corner!
What has your active involvement in the alumni circle brought you so far?
I have been active in the Berlin alumni circle for 7 years now and it feels like an extension of my student life - in an absolutely positive sense. Besides your friends and acquaintances, you meet new people at every event. Fellow alumni who studied at other faculties or who were in Maastricht at completely different times than you. At the alumni events, you immediately have this strong bonding component, you can reminisce, you talk about long gone places (who still knows the legendary The Alla?) or you can hear from the new alumni about how Maastricht and the university have developed in recent years. In addition to the social component, professional networking also plays a major role. In Berlin, UM alumni from all faculties are represented and personally I find it enriching to make contacts in my own and other occupational sectors, and to take away inspiration for my work.
What is your most memorable experience as part of the alumni circle?
In the past 7 years, there have been many highlights in the alumni circle, great events and interesting contacts. The most memorable experience was probably my very first alumni event, the UM Star Lecture 2016. At that time, I didn't really know what to expect and I was just curious about the lecture and the other alumni. That evening, I felt transported back to my student life and enjoyed a lecture on a topic with current social relevance in the company of fellow Maastricht alumni. In the course of this evening I got to know the fellow committee members with whom I exchanged ideas for upcoming UM alumni events. Long story short: since that evening I have been an active member of the alumni circle committee.
If there is one tip you could give brand-new UM alumni, what would it be?
With its Alumni Office, Maastricht University has created an amazing institution, which offers alumni platforms to stay in contact with the university and fellow alumni on many different levels. In my opinion, this is a great appreciation of the university towards its alumni and I advise every brand-new graduate to make use of this unique opportunity, make sure your data are up-to-date, go to the events and exchange experiences and ideas with known and new fellow alumni. On that note, at least for the Berliners among you: see you on Wednesday 28 June!
Get involved!
An Alumni Circle is a local network of UM alumni who get together, and organize events on a time-to-time basis. An Alumni Circle consists of an Alumni Committee with a few dedicated alumni who are willing to facilitate and host events in their city. Together with the Event and Community Coordinator from the UM Alumni Office, they maintain this local network. Would you like to join the community in your city, become an active member or explore the possibilities of creating an Alumni Circle yourself? We would love to think along! Contact us via alumni@maastrichtuniversity.nl.