Muhammad Faraz Sadiq ‘25 receives the 2024 DAAD Prize

Muhammad Faraz Sadiq ‘25, a fourth year Economics, Politics, and Social Thought student, is the recipient of this year’s DAAD (Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst) Prize at Bard College Berlin. This prestigious award is conferred annually to an outstanding international student who has demonstrated not only academic excellence, but has also shown strong dedication to civic and cultural engagement beyond their studies.

Faraz has established an exemplary record of leadership, community engagement, and academic distinction during his four years at Bard College Berlin across campus, the local community, and through the international OSUN network. Faraz has led BCB’s English Hour project, in which students work with residents of the Berlin-Pankow community to improve their English skills while also fostering meaningful intercultural and intergenerational connections. Drawing from this project, he presented his community-based, engaged research at the 2022 Get Engaged Leadership Conference in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. Additionally, he shared his experience of running English Hour in a seminar at OSUN’s Difference and Justice Symposium.

Faraz also founded the Open Classroom project at Bard College Berlin, for which he was awarded the college's first Access to Education Fellowship. He served as BCB's only Global Engagement Fellow from 2023-2024, representing the civic engagement initiatives at the college and serving as a point of contact with student leaders from other OSUN institutions. Last summer, he was invited by Professors Erin Cannan and Jonathan Becker to join their summer course in civic engagement at the Central European University as a Course Fellow. And earlier this semester, Faraz was invited by OSUN to deliver an online workshop as part of the Get Engaged Alumni Speaker Series, reflecting on his experiences in civic engagement projects.

“I am truly humbled and grateful,” Faraz says. “A student is the reflection of his teachers, and I am truly thankful to my professors for trusting me and supporting me in my academic journey so far. I am also very grateful to Faiza zu Lynar and the Civic Engagement office for always being there for me and supporting my efforts.”

Students are nominated for the DAAD Prize by members of the faculty. The members of the selection committee this year were extremely impressed with Faraz’s work and achievements.

Faraz's experiences demonstrate an admirable commitment to community engagement and academic excellence. Managing Director Florian Becker awarded Faraz the prize certificate. Previous recipients of BCB’s DAAD Prize include Christin Alhalabi (2023), Salma Houmane (2022), Vala Schriefer (2021), and Adam Hardaker (2020).

Post Date: 12-03-2024