25.06.2020

Dancing for Charity: Berlin Macromedia Student Receives DAAD Award

Macromedia University has awarded this year’s DAAD prize to the Swedish student Elin Matilda Karlsson. With this award, Macromedia honours the student’s extraordinary social commitment. As part of her “Food for Thought” initiative, the Swedish student organizes public dance performances, workshops and competitions to generate donations for university scholarships in the Philippines.

Elin Matilda Karlsson is studying Media and Communication Management B.A. in the 4th semester at Macromedia University. The passionate street dancer founded the initiative "Food for Thought" before she moved to Berlin already. The idea: Karlsson uses her dance expertise to collect donations for social causes – sometimes as a choreographer of flashmob-like performances in shopping streets, sometimes as an organizer of dance workshops and competitions.

In the Philippines, the first scholarship holder financed through "Food for Thought" has already successfully completed her four-year university studies, the second scholarship holder is in his third semester. Elin Karlsson is continuing her charitable activities in Berlin – with success: She already collected 1000 euros in donations via online dance courses during the Corona Lockdown.

DAAD prize for foreign students: Great benefit for German society

The nomination of Elin Karlsson for the DAAD prize for foreign students was made by Prof. Dr. Astrid Friese. Once a year, universities are allowed to award the DAAD prize to foreign students. With this award, the DAAD wants to recognize the special value that foreign students add to German society. The decision to award the prize was made by an internal committee of five university members headed by the Head of International Office, Ronja Fries. In their reasoning  behind the decision, the commission praised above all the high degree of international integration and the independence of the project – for example, Elin Karlsson did not join an existing organization, but founded her own project.

Prof. Dr. Astrid Friese: "Elin Matilda Karlsson is an exceptional student. She is not only academically successful, but enriches our campus life with her strong social commitment. And she is contagious – with her power, her joie de vivre and her thought for others."

Examples of this joy can be found on Elin Karlsson’s YouTube channel Elin De La Vibe.

Further information on the degree programme Media and Communication Management B.A. can be found here.

(IMH)