DAAD Award Winner William Radford: Sustainable Sounds
2024-12-17 The American moved to Germany to finally be able to study sustainability science. Today, the music education graduate is involved in the student council, is a tutor at the writing center and is part of the Ffood Ssharing community. Alongside his studies, he works part time as a student trainee in thefor sustainability department at a Hamburg-based family business. His professors see him as a proactive student who enjoys discussion and have therefore nominated him for the DAAD Prize.
William Radford wanted to learn more about sustainability while he was still in the US. “After my first sustainability science course, I considered completing a sustainability science degree in addition to my then current music education studies,” recalls the 29-year-old. At the time, he was studying at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Washington. William first came to Europe as a part of the Fulbright Teaching Exchange Program, where he worked for two years in Austria as a teacher. To prepare himself for his future sustainability studies, he completed a year of biology courses at the University of Salzburg. “Even as a child, I was involved in environmental protection and sustainability through the Boy Scouts, internalizing the principles of 'Leave No Trace' and implementing them in my daily life. My sustainability philosophy is inspired by the cycles of nature,” said William Radford.
William remained determined to engage with sustainability at the university level. Together with his partner, Anne, he began looking for study programs and came across Leuphana: “I was impressed by the university’s international and interdisciplinary approach,” says the student. The couple successfully applied for the Master's program in Sustainability Science, and William Radford has been involved in university activities since he started his studies: he played saxophone in the Big Band for two years and is a trainer for Ultimate Frisbee for the university sports program. As a member of the student council of the Faculty of Sustainability, he helped organize the new student retreat and is part of the Food Sharing community in Lüneburg: “We save food that the food bank can’t accept and would otherwise get thrown away,” reported William Radford.
He also works as a peer tutor at the Writing Center: “I find it rewarding to continue using my teaching background in a new context.” He is now fluent in German at the C1 level: “For me, the DAAD award is a great honor and also shows me that my decision to come to Germany was the right one.” William Radford and his fiancée will both graduate soon. The American is already working as part time sustainability project manager at a family-owned company in Hamburg. After completing his master's degree at Leuphana, William Radford and his fiancée plan to move to Bavaria to continue their professional careers in the field of sustainability.
The DAAD Award for Outstanding Academic Achievement and Social/Societal Engagement, endowed with prize money of €1,000, is intended to make the public aware of the enrichment that foreign students bring to universities and to society. The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) prize has been awarded annually for more than ten years, including at Leuphana University.