Master’s degree student Nahuel Federico Placencia receives the DAAD Prize in the amount of 1,000 Euro for his outstanding academic achievements during his studies as well as for his social commitment. “It’s a nice recognition,” says the student. This year’s award winner comes from Argentina and is currently completing the binational Maestría Argentino-Alemana degree program offered by Mainz University of Applied Sciences in cooperation with the Universidad de Ciencias Empresariales y Sociales (UCES) in Buenos Aires. “It wasn’t always easy,” he emphasizes, which is why he is delighted to receive the award.
The 31-year-old is currently working on his Master's thesis entitled “Free Trade Agreement European Union-Mercosur: Analysis of Competitiveness between Argentina and the EU”, which he will submit this month and then defend before an Argentinian-German jury in September. He speaks fluent English and is continuously improving his German. This is particularly important to him as he has German roots. Some of his family live in Bavaria, but they speak neither Spanish nor English. “We talk with our hands and feet,” he says with a grin. “But it works out well.”
Placencia is also politically and socially active. He is a member of the “Principios y Valores” party and is particularly committed to international issues. “As the spokesperson for his year in the Maestría Argentino-Alemana degree program, he is the voice of his fellow students, he coordinates meetings and study groups, and is always available as a point of contact,” emphasizes Dr Karin Ewert-Kling, Program Manager of the degree program.
Before coming to Mainz, Nahuel Placencia completed his Bachelor's degree in International Trade at the Universidad Argentina de la Empresa (UADE) in Buenos Aires. The native of Argentina then worked as a project manager in business development, as an international trade analyst and as a sales manager.
The DAAD Prize is made available to universities by the German Academic Exchange Service. The DAAD Prize is awarded to foreign students for their outstanding academic achievements at colleges and universities throughout Germany and for their remarkable social commitment.
