"Above all, chess has shaped my character. It has taught me that I am determined to move forward. But it also taught me how to deal with loss or failure."

"The course taught me an attitude, especially when dealing with non-German-speaking clients, I was sensitized to issues surrounding migration and discrimination and much more."

"The architecture program at BTU Cottbus excited me primarily because of the close supervisors and the top-equipped workstations."

"As part of social projects, we've helped to electrify critical infrastructure such as schools, health posts, but also family homes with solar energy, and we've also helped to provide water supplies."

"Although, as a native of Berlin, I was initially hesitant to move to another city for my studies, my opinion changed after my first visit to Cottbus - more specifically, during my first tour of the studio buildings."

"I would rather say that I think very fondly of the time of my doctorate, because it was crazy at times what I had to deal with."

"The joy of music then inevitably led me to study in Cottbus."

"For me, the special thing about the degree programme was the varied daily routine."

"Studying was great fun for me, yet it was time-consuming and challenging."

Heiko Schwarz is Deputy Head of the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Baku (Azerbaijan).