𝗕𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗸𝗮𝗻𝘇𝗹𝗲𝗿 𝗢𝗹𝗮𝗳 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗹𝘇 𝗮𝘁 𝗕𝗕𝗜𝗦

What a privilege to welcome Bundeskanzler Olaf Scholz to BBIS.

A heartfelt thank you to the BBIS Foundation and Eve Büchner for making this visit possible—and to Bundeskanzler Olaf Scholz for so graciously giving us his time.

He came across as well-read, humble, kind, and remarkably composed as he answered questions about both his political career and his personal life.

𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗶𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀

Enormous credit must go to the BBIS student team. They organized and moderated the Q&A with real professionalism.

Questions were incorporated from across the student body, and Bundeskanzler Scholz moved around the room to address each student personally. It made the conversation feel unusually intimate, inclusive, and genuine.

𝗤𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆

Our BBIS community represents around 70 nationalities, and the questions reflected the concerns young people from diverse backgrounds have about their future—and about building that future in Germany.

No subject was avoided. Even difficult questions, including one about the election in Saxony, were addressed directly by Bundeskanzler Scholz.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗯𝗲𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗲

Perhaps the most memorable moment for me was hearing Bundeskanzler Scholz answer not just one, but I believe three different questions by emphasizing the importance of his wife and the central role she has played in his life and accomplishments. That said a great deal about the man behind the public office.

𝗕𝗲𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀

The visit continued with a campus tour and lunch, where our canteen chef served Königsberger Klopse. We also had the opportunity to speak with members of the Bundeskanzler’s staff and interns gaining experience within his team—what an extraordinary way to begin a career.

It was refreshing to spend this amount of time with a prominent political figure beyond headlines, edited clips, and social-media snippets.

My takeaway: if you are interested in politics, the world, and our shared future, seek opportunities to listen directly to political leaders, their speeches, and their ideas. There is real value in experiencing the full conversation.

𝗔 𝗺𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗕𝗕𝗜𝗦 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗲

As a member of the BBIS Supervisory Board, it is moments like these that make me especially proud of our community—our students, our international character, and the thoughtful, open conversations we create together.

Thank you again to everyone who made this memorable visit possible.

𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹, 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗲…

Herr Bundeskanzler, I look forward to your book—and if you happen to hold a signing at Dussmann in Berlin, I plan to be there for sure!

I look forward to reading your own words and adding your book to my political reading journey alongside books by Barack Obama, Michelle Obama’s “Becoming,” Hillary Clinton’s “Hard Choices,” Angela Merkel’s “Freedom,” and Alyssa Mastromonaco’s “Who Thought This Was a Good Idea?”