Sonja Pankow

Studies: B.A. Cultural Studies

Graduation year: 2014

Professional career: I am a project manager for internal communications at kununu in Hamburg.

Today, when I look back on my time at Leuphana....

...I am grateful for the contacts and friendships I was able to make across my field of study thanks to the Leuphana semester and complementary studies.

How did your studies prepare you for your current job?

It was very helpful to write term papers, research topics, and acquire a body of knowledge because my job today is very similar. I never thought I'd say this, but all the group work at Leuphana also prepared me well for my current job: Making compromises that everyone can live with, preparing presentations together, adapting to different personalities in a project, and coordinating. I do all that every day now.

What are the advantages of studying at Leuphana?

One huge advantage of having studied at Leuphana in Lüneburg was, above all, the wonderful city. Studying in a smaller city makes it significantly easier to create deep and meaningful relationships. Both with fellow students and with lecturers and professors. The network I built up at Leuphana has lasted until today. Another advantage is that Leuphana students are motivated and trained to think as generalists, which makes it much easier to look beyond one's own discipline and be open to other perspectives, backgrounds, and thoughts.

To whom would you recommend studying at Leuphana?

I would recommend studying cultural studies at Leuphana to prospective students who are open-minded and can imagine many different careers for their professional future. Those who are not willing to get excited about other subject areas outside of their major will be frustrated at Leuphana. However, those who have many interests, are curious about topics they have not had contact with before, and are motivated to meet many interesting people, are in the right place at Leuphana.

What experience can I bring to the table as an Alumni Angel?

I started my Leuphana studies with a completely different career goal than it eventually turned out to be. I am a perfect example of how you make many plans as a young person and then life takes different turns.