Jacob Schaal

Jacob Schaal does not come from a sheltered home that had a lot of money available for tutoring her offspring. But despite limited resources, his single mother created a supportive environment in which Jacob could develop his curiosity and desire to learn. "Luckily, I also had a group of friends in which we motivated and encouraged each other," he says. In addition, he had a certain willingness to learn and was interested in relevant topics outside the curriculum from an early age.

In 2020, Jacob was the first in his family to start studying economics. "A career advisor said in an interview that you should study the subject you last bought a journal about," he says, laughing. In his case, it was "The Economist." Of course, he had also given a lot of thought to his choice of study. "I liked the quantitative nature of economics, combined with the social relevance."

Starting his studies was not easy for the then 18-year-old because of Corona. "I couldn't get to know any of my fellow students personally because everything was happening online at the time," he remembers. The fact that he comes from a non-academic family didn't make things any easier either. As a result, he focused immensely on his studies. "And other students and the student council helped me a lot with best practice examples."

Summer school at the University of Oxford

Apparently with great success. Jacob was already a participant in the economics faculty's Honors Program in his third semester. Every year, the 15 best students are given the opportunity to acquire additional qualifications and expand their network. This was followed by a semester abroad at the Carlos III University in Madrid and a scholarship-funded summer school at the Global Priorities Institute at the University of Oxford. But Jacob was not only involved in his studies.

In the summer semester break of 2022, he started an internship in the German Bundestag. The Munich native has been interested in social and environmental policy since his youth. He gave speeches at Fridays for Future rallies and was active in the Green Youth. At the age of 17, he completed an internship at the Bavarian Ministry of Social Affairs, at the age of 18 he ran for local elections, and at the age of 19 he helped the Greens in the federal election campaign.

However, in his role as district chairman of the Green Youth, Jacob realized that he did not want to become a politician. In order to make a difference, he increasingly focused on social engagement and founded a university group. "The aim was to help others with the greatest possible social impact," he explains. He saw great potential for a lasting impact, particularly in the areas of animal welfare, climate protection and development cooperation.

Mentor of a Ugandan student

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The list of other voluntary activities is long. For example, Jacob was a football referee for four years and helps a Ugandan student in Pfarrkirchen with the non-governmental organization Melengo to find accommodation, campus life and dealing with authorities. And he is an active member of "Giving What We Can", in which participants commit to donating ten percent of their income to charities.

Due to his internship in Brussels at a think tank in the field of AI policy and his studies in Great Britain, he has to take a break from some of this or hand it over to others. However, many of the voluntary activities would not have been possible without the Deutschlandstipendium. "Since I didn't have to wait tables because of the funding, I was able to use the time for the many activities and as a research assistant," he explains. He learned a lot there. In the end, the time he was given helped him to focus on his master's applications.

And that obviously convinced the elite universities. Because not only the London School of Economics, but also those in Oxford and Harvard wanted Jacob. In the end, he decided on London. "They are great names, but the master's in London is simply the best," he is convinced.

After his master's degree, Jacob could well imagine doing his doctorate in the English capital. He also does not rule out a return to Brussels because he is incredibly fascinated by AI policy. No matter what he decides, the 22-year-old wants to continue to be socially and politically involved. It may not always be obvious, but research is also politically relevant because political recommendations can be derived from it. He promises: "I will continue to do good."