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First International Student for Master’s in Mathematics
It took a year for Muhammad Mahdi Sultani to get approved for a visa. Now his dream of studying in Siegen is ready to come true.
Prof. Rob van Stee welcomes his new student with a handshake. The international master’s degree program in mathematics at the University of Siegen is small. Everyone knows everyone personally. But Muhammad Mahdi Sultani is special: He’s the first foreign student to sign up for this relatively young degree program. The University of Siegen first started offering a master’s degree in mathematics for the winter semester 2021. “To date we’d only had German students,” explains Prof. van Stee. “That’s why we were so pleased to have a talented candidate like Mahdi Sultani apply to join us from abroad.”
Mahdi Sultani hails from Afghanistan. He sketches out his background in short, concise terms. There are few classic educational paths in his war and crisis-torn homeland, even fewer clear perspectives, and no free choice of profession. In 2015, following studies in mathematics in Kabel, Sultani headed to South Asian University in Delhi, India. He returned to Afghanistan in 2017 and taught mathematics at the University of Kabul. But he wanted to learn more. “I'd always been very interested in applied mathematics and working with computers,” he explains. When the Taliban came to power, Sultani's position at the university became tenuous. “Mathematics isn't something the Taliban cares about.” There was pressure to teach something else and pay more attention to religion.
Sultani left the university and went to work at a restaurant, saving his money. He carefully sorted through the pages of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), discovering the master’s degree program in mathematics at the University of Siegen. He applied and was accepted, but couldn't get a visa. It took him a year to get his documents in order and secure permission to travel to Germany. Prof. Rob van Stee and the International Office at the University of Siegen supported Mahdi Sultani throughout the entire process, including helping him find housing and welcoming him upon arrival. “There are also other candidates from abroad hoping to join our degree program and waiting for their visa,” notes Prof. van Stee. “There's nothing to be done but be patient and persistent.”
The young Afghani is adjusting well to Siegen. He's trying to learn German and quickly secured work at a restaurant in the City Galerie. Above all else, he's looking forward to his first semester. The master's degree program in mathematics is precisely what he'd always hoped for: rigorous and with the chance to develop the kind of skills that make mathematicians attractive for business and industry.
Mahdi Sultani is highly motivated and ambitious. Thanks to the money he’s saved and his side jobs, he's on solid financial footing, he promises. He’s not receiving subsidies or scholarships. Thoughts of returning to Afghanistan are also being pushed to the side for now. He would love to help build up his country and its people. But not while the Taliban is still in control. He sees his studies in Siegen as a huge opportunity. “A real-life dream,” he says with a laugh.