Julia is 23, comes from a small town in Baden-Württemberg, and has been living in Würzburg since 2021. She moved to the THWS to study—with all the first-time experiences that come with freedom, responsibility, and homesickness. “It was difficult at first,” she says, “but now Würzburg feels like home.” Nevertheless, home for her remains where her parents are. Home is where her friends are waiting and she can just be herself.
She is grateful for opportunities and education – and for being able to pursue her hobbies. At the same time, she is alert to what is going on in the world: populism, wars, the harsh interactions on the internet. “I don't want to lose myself in fear,” she says. Her antidote: keep going, get involved, talk. Good discussions instead of knee-jerk opposition, more middle ground instead of loud either/or. In Würzburg, she would like to see better public transport connections above all – and more places where people who would not otherwise meet can come together.
For Julia, integration means creating real interfaces – in schools, universities, neighborhoods. “When we get to know each other, headlines become more complex and prejudices become smaller.” She believes that opportunities exist, but that too often you have to actively seek them out. Her idea: make encounters more visible and accessible so that people “stumble across” them. Politically, she focuses on the obvious: start at the local level, build pressure, change step by step. Her values are clear: the constitution and respect.
Her friendships and family give her strength. When she comes home, her grandmother cooks semolina dumpling soup: a simple ritual of happiness. For the future, Julia hopes for affordable housing, a combative but respectful democracy, and an approach to social media that neither demonizes nor glorifies it. “We need more conversation again—and paths that cross.”
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You can find more stories like Julia's in our #endlichankommen series on our website.
Listen to our podcast, where Julia and many others talk in more detail about their journeys and arriving.
Jeder Mensch - egal wie alt, egal woher - will irgendwann endlich ankommen. Wir zeigen 1.000 Menschen aus Würzburg, jeden mit seiner eigenen Geschichte.
Über diese Geschichten, Kunst, Diskussionen und kreative Formate laden wir alle ein, miteinander ins Gespräch zu kommen, gemeinsame Werte zu entdecken und sie im besten Fall gemeinschaftlich umzusetzen.
Dass Diversität im eigenen Umfeld als Chance begriffen werden kann, will das Projekt ebenso erfahrbar machen, wie das Glücksgefühl, das sich einstellt, wenn man selbst etwas verändert.