Marina Pokrivka

Marina Pokrivka is passionate about volunteering to support young people. That's why she started working as an assistant in a Munich kindergarten alongside her studies in October 2022. “I was able to gain an incredible amount of experience with the children,” says the LMU student with shining eyes. Because she enjoyed the work so much, she has also been supporting facilities and specialist services of the Social Service of Catholic Women in Munich since March 2024.

For over a year, she has been volunteering to look after a girl whose mother is seriously ill. To relieve her, she spends two hours with the six-year-old every Wednesday evening - they play, do crafts or practise memory games. This activity fulfills her. “I won't leave them alone when I start working,” she assures them. Especially in difficult times, children need to know that they won't be overlooked.

Marina Pokrivka was born in Ehingen, a town in Baden-Württemberg south of Ulm. Even as a schoolgirl, she volunteered with Caritas as part of the children's holiday program. After graduating from high school, she decided to study philosophy - Plato, ancient philosophy and fundamental questions had already fascinated her in secondary school. At LMU, she was even able to combine the subject with Catholic theology, which particularly appealed to her. When she also got a place in a hall of residence, nothing stood in the way of her moving to Munich.

“I know how important support is when parents have little time”

It is no coincidence that she wants to be a support for younger children and encourage them in their development: she has eight siblings herself. In 2008, her father had a serious accident at work, which meant that her mother not only had to look after the family, but also earn a living. “My youngest sister was only two years old, the eldest was 17 and in the middle of her A-levels - and I was nine,” she says. This experience taught them to be there for each other.

But Marina Pokrivka is not only committed to children. At the freshers' welcome event, she became aware of the Nightline, an anonymous helpline for students with stress during their studies, exam nerves, relationship problems or financial worries. When the coronavirus pandemic broke out shortly after her application, the need for such conversations increased rapidly. “Suddenly lots of people wanted to talk about their problems,” she recalls. Not only did she learn to really listen, but she also learned a lot about herself through the supervision sessions with psychotherapists.

It seems that Marina Pokrivka can't help but help others. During her studies abroad at Venice International University in Italy - she speaks German, Croatian, English and some French as well as Italian - she spontaneously volunteered to help out in the library to enable longer opening hours. “I like going to the library myself, so I thought I'd help out a bit,” she says.

Working a lot is nothing new for the LMU student. When she was 16, she started working in a large furniture store for a total of six years. Before that, she had delivered newspapers. “That was my first part-time job so that I could afford something myself,” she says - including her driving license. Although she receives BAföG, she was always dependent on additional work. During her studies, she therefore worked as a student assistant for many semesters.

Without a scholarship, she would not have been able to concentrate on her studies

Since last year, Marina Pokrivka has been supported by the Deutschlandstipendium at LMU - a support for which she is very grateful. Without this financial relief, she would have had to work during her Master's thesis. “This would have made it harder for me to focus and I would have had to give up my voluntary work,” she explains. The scholarship enabled her to continue to be there for the sick mother's little girl.

The scholarship holder is currently in the application phase. “I would be most excited about an assistant position in the editorial department of a church radio station,” she says. She could develop her creativity there - and the employer would probably finance training in project management. And what about working with children? Don't worry, she says with a laugh - she definitely wants to continue this commitment. But preferably on a voluntary basis and not as a job. “That way,” and this sounds understandable, “I can focus better on the children when I'm playing.”