Award for special organizational talent

Culture and identities, statehood, communication, and politics—Riccarda Svarovsky explores every level of society through her master’s program in management of social change in Görlitz. She is about to begin her final semester; she is 24 and has just moved from Bischofswerda. She commutes frequently between Görlitz and her hometown. There, her ties are still good: friends, family, and work. In Görlitz, she lives—as she puts it—“practically”—in a dorm room. “I often go home, and my life mainly revolves around Bischofswerda.” There, she lives with her parents and enjoys her hometown and family environment. Nevertheless, she is succeeding in her studies in Görlitz—her life back home is also set to play a major role in her Master's thesis. The former cultural center in Bischofswerda is set to be revitalized through a structural transformation project. Riccarda Svarovsky can see this topic as good for her Master's thesis. But she’s not quite there yet.

Since her first semester, she’s been on the Study Commission, actively involved with her class, providing feedback, organizing and clarifying matters, and posting in WhatsApp groups. She’s the class representative and very active in her degree programme. For the upcoming poster presentation—an examination component of her degree programme—it’s Riccarda Svarovsky who tells the custodian how many chairs are needed, double-checks the room, and picks up the media key. “Someone has to do it—I’m good at organization; it comes naturally to me,” she says. Sometimes she wonders: if she didn’t do it, who would? All the little steps, all the details, scheduling appointments, coordinating with the group—everything you don’t see from the outside—Riccarda Svarovsky really enjoys doing all of that. She often receives thanks from her fellow students and the program administration. And that’s important to her.

She keeps herself organized using a paper calendar, sticky notes, and reminder apps on her phone when she’s on the go. “Better safe than good, ” she says. The program administration has occasionally provided her with information: “Make sure you don’t take on too much.” Riccarda Svarovsky says, “I just have a hard time saying no.” And she laughs, as if her talent for organization were a little quirk she could shake off someday. She learned early on how to organize large groups of people within a structured framework. Through the Catholic Church in Bischofswerda, she had been taking on responsibilities since 9th grade. For two years, she was the main organizer of the Religious Children’s Weeks, where her job was to coordinate 80 children and 30 volunteers—and, above all, to make sure the children had a good time. For many years, she was also part of the Bautzen Deanery Youth Leadership Group, an organizing body for Catholic youth in the deanery. However, this workload was no longer compatible with her newly started college studies. “I can’t be everywhere at once, ” she says.

And what else does she do, this pragmatic, highly organized 24-year-old student from Bischofswerda? Is there still room for a personal life? She has rediscovered the joy of reading. She used to read a lot and enjoy it, but at some point she lost touch with the hobby. Since the pandemic, she’s returned to books and has been reading a whole new genre—New Adult. These are novels that explore themes of love, friendship, self-discovery, and coming of age. The protagonists are usually young adults who face major challenges and must prove themselves in difficult situations. Riccarda Svarovsky follows book discussions about the latest releases on TikTok.

Riccarda Svarovsky was already good at preparing for her master’s degree in Görlitz. She had previously earned her Bachelor’s degree in political science at Chemnitz University of Technology. So she had already heard a bit about sociology by the time she began her first semester in Görlitz, as the subject was a major part of her undergraduate studies. She completed her internship—which she describes as involving 400 hours and, in stark contrast to her previous experience at Chemnitz University of Technology, was very hands-on and intensive—at a pharmacy in Bischofswerda, where she still works today. As an executive assistant, she primarily supported the management team with her organizational skills and in public relations. She is still employed there on a part-time basis, and in that capacity, she has helped oversee a structural change funding project—which is still confidential—all the way to the ministry. “Unfortunately, I’m not allowed to talk about that yet,” she says. She’s looking forward to even more management-related topics in her final semester of study. She doesn’t know exactly what she’ll do afterward, but it probably won’t be research—she’s too practically minded for that.

Text: Sophie Herwig