What was your first job as a journalist?
Working for the Berlin based tabloid B.Z.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Yes, to write my first short story. I was 16 and my story actually won a prize :)
What's your favorite social network?
None
Who do you wish followed you?
Everyone who likes a good German read :)
Why did you become a journalist?
I became a journalist because I feel a responsibility to tell the stories of people and projects that often go unnoticed or unappreciated. On the one hand, I want to give these individuals a voice — and on the other, I hope to inspire others and offer a sense of hope through these stories. Journalism, for me, is about visibility, dignity, and the power of perspective.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
One of the stories I'm most proud of is my Nordreportage documenting the final school year of class 9c at the Theodor-Storm-Gemeinschaftsschule in Kiel. The students' lives are shaped by two major factors: migration and poverty. And yet, they are just teenagers — with dreams, fears, and hopes like anyone else.
This year is a turning point for them: Will they graduate? Could some even make it to 10th grade and aim for a higher school-leaving certificate? The film follows their everyday struggles and quiet triumphs, without clichés, and tries to show what it really means to grow up on the social margins — and still not give up.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Never give up
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
In the garden in my hammock.
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
I love everything by Ian McEwan, Zadie Smith, Toni Morrison and Hermann Hesse
