DAAD Prize 2025 of TH Köln for Elizaveta Sinizkaja

“Ms. Sinizkaja is a highly motivated, incredibly disciplined, and truly remarkable student in our Master’s program in the Faculty of Architecture. She has a wide range of interests and is one of the most outstanding students in her year,” says Prof. Fabian Storch, who suggested Sinizkaja for the award. She has impressive intercultural anticipation skills, is quick to grasp new concepts and is very thorough and conscientious in her studies and when tackling new topics, Storch continues. This makes her a great asset to the faculty and the entire academic community.

Before studying at TH Köln, Sinizkaja graduated from the Lyceum Secondary School of the Belarusian National Technical University (BNTU) in Minsk (Belarus) with a grade of 1.1. She then studied architecture at BNTU and received a diploma with distinction (1.0) for her achievements. “I have always been interested in architecture, even as a child. And by that, I mean not just drawing, but also functional aspects. For example, how to design an environment which is better for everyone. At high school, I had the chance to get some early hands-on experience in technical and academic drawing through in-depth courses – that's what really got me started," Sinizkaja explains.

After graduating and working as an architect in the urban planning department in Minsk, she finally came to Germany in 2022 to begin a master's degree at the Faculty of Architecture at TH Köln. “I knew early on that I wanted to gain experience abroad in order to learn about different approaches and different designs,” says Sinizkaja. “Since I already knew Germany from two summer schools and access to education here is very open, I quickly realized that this was the perfect place for me.”

She chose TH Köln because of the opportunities for specialization at the Faculty of Architecture: “The faculty not only offers purely consecutive degree programs in which the content builds on a bachelor's or diploma degree. It also allows you to learn completely new things. That's why I decided to specialize in 'Project Management and Real Estate Assessment (PUI)', so that I would not only have design skills but also be able to consider the economic side of things.” Another advantage was the practical and project-oriented approach of the university.

Next to her studies, Sinizkaja volunteered in the TH Köln Buddy Program run by the Department of International Affairs and as a tutor assistant in the Hürth-Efferen student village run by the Kölner Studierendenwerk, the student union of Cologne. “Networking and interacting with other international students who face similar challenges really helped me, especially in the beginning. That was my motivation to get involved in this field and pass on some of my experiences," says Sinizkaja.

The DAAD prize winner is currently working on her master's thesis on possible uses for the old district administration building in her hometown of Hürth, which she will complete by the end of the year. After that, she wants to dive right into the professional world. “I am not entirely sure yet which direction I want to take, whether I want to work in an architectural office or in project management. All I know is that I want to make a positive contribution to society with my work.”