Galina Volovik

Galina Volovik closely follows current world events. She grew up in Israel, and her parents are originally from Ukraine - two countries that regularly make the headlines at the moment. The 25-year-old has lived in Munich since 2023 and is studying chemistry and biochemistry at LMU. “I knew early on that chemistry was my direction.” However, it was a dedicated chemistry teacher who ultimately motivated her. “I was supposed to make a crystal during summer vacation,” she says. Although the attempt failed, she was still fascinated by it.

After graduating from high school in a small town near Haifa, Galina worked in the Israeli secret service until 2020. She is not allowed to say much about it, but it was generally about ballistic missiles. In 2021, she became a research assistant at the Arava Research and Development Institute. There she worked in the field of marine biology - in particular with larvae that eat organic waste and could thus contribute to environmentally friendly waste recycling. “The idea was to find out whether it would be possible to recycle some of the waste that would otherwise have to be incinerated.”

Her professor at the time had lived in Germany for several years and married a German woman - which gave Galina the idea of coming here, too. “But I knew that if I wanted to learn the language, I would have to move to the country,” she reports. So she left everything behind and went to Heidelberg to take an intense German course. “It was difficult at first,” she recalls. But over time, learning went faster than expected - and she applied to LMU - “because I like Munich so much,” she says with a grin.

“I always have to check the news from both countries”

Her studies began in September 2023 - shortly after, the situation in the Middle East escalated. “It was really bad and almost impossible to concentrate on my studies,” says Galina. Another part of her family still lives in Ukraine. “So I always have to check the news from both countries and hope that everyone is okay,” she says. She toyed with the idea of returning to Israel several times. But friends and family ultimately convinced her that it was more important to continue her studies.

Galina originally planned to finance the first year of her studies with her own savings, as she had previously worked a lot - and to work part-time from the second year onwards. However, the language challenges put a spoke in her wheels. “Because I was studying in a new language, I needed more time to study than planned.” Fortunately, a fellow student told her about the Deutschlandstipendium at LMU. At first, she was skeptical as to whether she had a chance. However, thanks to the support of sponsors, she now receives 300 euros a month - an important financial relief.

Today, she is glad to have stayed in Munich. After October 7, 2023, she was initially uncomfortable talking openly about her origins. But then she experienced great solidarity in the city - also through the Israeli flags on Marienplatz. “That's important for Jewish people in Germany.” At the same time, she developed empathy and understanding for other perspectives. “I represent my country, but I will never argue with anyone over political views,” she emphasizes.

English teacher in Cambodia - via Zoom

In addition to her studies, Galina is socially committed - as is her mother, who works in a retirement home. Her father works as a security guard. Galina volunteered with the Red Star of David for several years while she was still at school. Before going to university, she volunteered to teach English at a school in Cambodia for a month. Despite the time difference, she was able to continue this work via Zoom. “That made me very happy,” she says.

After completing her Bachelor's degree, Galina would also like to do her Master's and PhD at LMU - and later stay in research and teaching. If her performance is good enough, she would prefer to stay at LMU: “The vibes here are simply the best,” she says and laughs.