IU Alumni Awards 2024: Social media community chooses outstanding graduates
Recognition for remarkable careers and inspiring projects by IU alumni
These awards celebrate exceptional careers, entrepreneurial achievements, and innovative projects in sustainability and digital education.
- IU International University of Applied Sciences presented the IU Alumni Awards in five categories: Professional Success, Entrepreneurship, Sustainability, Outstanding Personal Achievement, and Artificial Intelligence.
- For the first time, winners were decided by a public Instagram vote.
- Award recipients hail from Berlin, Böblingen, Einbeck, London, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Erfurt, 5 February 2025. IU International University of Applied Sciences (IU), Germany’s largest university, has announced the winners of its 2024 "IU Alumni Awards" for the fifth consecutive year. These awards celebrate exceptional careers, entrepreneurial achievements, and innovative projects in sustainability and digital education. IU Alumni from across the globe were invited to apply in five categories, facing evaluation by a panel of IU professors and experts. For the first time, the public determined the final winners, with the jury selecting three finalists per category, whose profiles were featured in Instagram Reels. The recipients with the most likes were crowned winners. Here are the IU Alumni Award 2024 winners:
Category: Entrepreneurship
Josefin Krone (25), Berlin
Degree: B.Sc. Speech Therapy
Josefin Krone impressed the jury with her entrepreneurial concept, “Sprachspatz,” an app designed to reduce lengthy waiting times for speech therapy appointments. The app offers personalised exercises and interactive content to support children and families awaiting therapy, while also focusing on prevention and collaboration with speech therapy practices.
Josefin, a qualified speech therapist and IU graduate, developed the idea during her studies, inspired by her academic research on "waiting times in speech therapy." She co-founded the business with Afi Huguette Kreyling, whom she met through IU’s “we Female Founders” network. Together, they created a company that combines their unique expertise. As part of her role, Josefin designs exercises and instructional materials for the app.
Winner’s Instagram Reel: https://www.instagram.com/iu.alumni/reel/DCOs285tT6n/
Connect on LinkedIn.
Category: Sustainability
Carina Jandt (33), London
Degree: B.A. Event Management
Carina Jandt co-founded and leads Event Cycle, a company offering sustainable solutions for the events industry. Her work involves consultancy services to guide events towards environmental stewardship and planet-friendly solutions, as well as integrating social impact features, and finding ways to repurpose excess materials by donating them to charities, community groups, schools, and social enterprises. Her mission is to change mindsets, reduce event waste, and promote a circular economy within the industry.
Winner’s Instagram Reel: https://www.instagram.com/iu.alumni/reel/DCgufGQt9kv/
Connect on LinkedIn.
Category: Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Vainqueur Kilindo Bulambo (26), Bukavu/Kongo
Degree: M.Sc. Artificial Intelligence (English)
Vainqueur Kilindo Bulambo’s groundbreaking research in artificial intelligence earned him the most votes in this category. His work focuses on biodiversity protection: “My research focussed on the use of AI to classify animal sounds using acoustic data collected by remote acoustic sensors installed in the animals' natural habitat. The prototype developed as part of my thesis demonstrated the usefulness of AI to protect animals and enable automatic and immediate monitoring.”
The 26-year-old is currently working on other AI-supported projects, such as wildlife detection in photos taken by forest camera traps.
Winner’s Instagram Reel: https://www.instagram.com/iu.alumni/reel/DDFAVK4NWHy/
Connect on LinkedIn.
Category: Professional Success
Nina Warga (23), Böblingen
Degree: B.Sc. Psychology
After Nina Warga completed her bachelor's degree in psychology with top marks (1.0 for her bachelor's thesis and an overall grade point average of 1.6), she immediately began a consecutive master's programme, in which her grade point average is currently 1.0. Alongside her studies, the 23-year-old high-flyer has started reviewing specialist books for a German trade journal. Her first review appeared last year. She is also a volunteer with the ‘Psychologists/Psychotherapists for Future’ organisation, where she contributes her psychological expertise to dealing with the climate crisis and promoting a sustainable future. She is also active in professional policy in the ‘German Psychotherapists Association’. After completing her master's degree, Nina Warga will start training as a child and youth psychotherapist, for which she has already signed the contract. She is looking forward to further developing her knowledge in the field of young people's mental health.
Winner’s Instagram Reel: https://www.instagram.com/iu.alumni/reel/DDWm8SRN2rd/
Connect on LinkedIn.
Category: Outstanding Personal Achievement
Sina Rubenwolf (34), Einbeck
Degree: B.A. Special Education
Sina Rubenwolf successfully completed her bachelor's degree in special education in just two years and six months. “With two small children and a husband who works shifts, it was often a big challenge and required a lot of organisation,” reveals the award winner. She used every minute to make progress, to learn and to realise her dream. With success: the 34-year-old now works as a class teacher in a day education centre and is proud of her perseverance and achievements.
Winner’s Instagram Reel: https://www.instagram.com/iu.alumni/reel/DCy68yCtAHy/
Lifelong learning leads to success and fulfilment
Through their studies at IU, each award recipient has realised their professional and personal aspirations. The awards underscore how education lays the foundation for successful, fulfilling careers and personal growth. Winners receive a €250 gift voucher, a free continuing education course of their choice at the IU Academy, and an invitation to an exclusive awards dinner with all costs covered, including travel and accommodation.
Looking ahead: IU Alumni Awards 2025
Applications for the IU Alumni Awards 2025 will open in summer 2025.
About the IU Alumni Awards
Since 2020, the IU Alumni Awards have recognised outstanding achievements and projects of graduates from IU International University of Applied Sciences. The 2024 jury included Prof. Dr Holger Sommerfeldt (Rector of IU), Prof. Dr Anastasia Hermann (Member of the Rectorate), and Thorsten Pütsch (Director of Communications at IU). Find more information on the IU Alumni Awards and past winners at: iu.de/infos/alumni/alumni-award.
The press release on the IU Alumni Awards 2023 can be found here.
The press release on the IU Alumni Awards 2022 can be found here.
With nearly 130,000 students, IU International University of Applied Sciences (IU) is the largest university in Germany. The private, state-recognised educational institution, based in Erfurt, began teaching in 2000 and now has 37 campuses. IU stands for maximum flexibility in study: whether through dual study, distance learning or on campus – students from over 160 nations tailor their educational path to suit their individual circumstances. With more than 200 degree programmes at bachelor’s, master’s and MBA level, IU imparts practical skills. Innovative learning concepts foster targeted, future-proof skills for an increasingly AI-driven world of work. A modern, digitally supported learning environment and the use of artificial intelligence enable effective, personalised learning. As a pioneer in this field, IU has developed its own digital learning companion, ‘Syntea’, which has been in use since 2023. A network of over 15,000 companies – including Motel One, Vodafone, AWO and Deutsche Bahn – makes IU a strong partner in the training of skilled workers and consistently links academic teaching with practical experience. Further information at: iu.org
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