Franziska Fröhlich

Franziska Fröhlich knew as a child that biology was her passion. She was accordingly happy with her studies at the LMU. But shortly before the end of her bachelor's degree, the now 23-year-old suddenly lost all motivation. Nevertheless, she started her master's degree because she saw no alternative. Although she initially felt at least a little joy about the great new fellow students and the master's modules, things continued to go downhill. At some point she wanted to give it all up. "I could no longer concentrate because all I could think about was that I couldn't do it and would never manage to finish my degree," recalls the Munich native.

It was during this phase that Franziska received the surprising news that she had been awarded a Germany scholarship. "That was exactly the external confirmation that I needed at that moment," says the biologist. She had always been a good student, but at this stage of her life she was unconvinced and in her eyes not good enough. "Without the support, I would not be studying at the LMU today," she says. She was just not doing well at the time because she dealt with mental helath crisis and did not want to talk to anyone about it.

The scholarship made the biology student feel "invincible" and her self-confidence was boosted. "But after my highs, I fell to a low point," explains the 23-year-old. Again, for no apparent reason she doubted her abilities. For the first time, she dropped study projects and quit her second part-time job in the laboratory. Unlike the first time, however, she sought medical help and confided in her professor. "He was incredibly understanding," she assures.

Depression cannot be cured

Today Franziska has overcome her depressive episode and feels like she used to. "Depression is not an illness that can be cured," explains the LMU student. But she now knows her problems and the warning signs and can better deal with the doubts that sometimes creep in. Since she has been transparent about her illness some of her fellow students have also opened up. "Many have the same problem," she says. The Munich native therefore wants to break the stigma and show those affected: you are not alone.

When Franziska now faces challenges in her studies, she visualizes her successes. For example, how she managed to get into university despite mixed school performance and some unmotivating teachers. Or how she successfully fought her way through the math and chemistry lectures, even though a former teacher didn't even ask her about her homework anymore because he thought she didn't understand the task anyway. She is currently writing her first paper in the field of "Animal Welfare in Behavioral Ecology Research" at the Max Planck Institute.

Franziska can finally pursue her hobbies again

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She has the time to do this thanks to the Deutschlandstipendium - otherwise she would have had to work more jobs instead. "Without the funding, I wouldn't have been able to get medical help and take the time I needed," she assures. She also uses the time she has been given for her membership in the student council, old and new hobbies, and social interactions on campus. All things that she wanted to do during her bachelor's degree, but couldn't because of Corona and lack of time. At the time, she even gave up her hobby of dancing.

It is important to the vegan in her professional life to promote animal and environmental protection - when she is older, she wants to open a home for animals with special needs that are difficult to place. She can't yet say where she will earn the money for this. "I stick to my motto: use every opportunity." That means the Munich native is on the lookout for open positions in industry or environmental agencies, but could also imagine doing a doctorate - preferably in the field of behavioral or aquatic ecology. "I'll take it as it comes," she says confidently and laughs. There's no sign of self-doubt.