The Deutsche SchülerAkademie (DSA) is a residential summer program for students of class 11 and 12 across Germany, a project of Bildung und Begabung, sponsored by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research – the central contact point for talent development in Germany. Every school in Germany is eligible to annually nominate one student to represent the school. I had the true privilege of representing our school in this year’s DSA held at Klosterschule Roßleben from 27^th July to 12^th August 2023.

Being at the DSA was a wonderful and unique experience for me. Our academy comprised of 90 students who were each assigned to 1 of 6 academic courses.   My course was “Die Chaostheorie und das Eichhörnchenproblem” (a course that explains how mathematics leaves its mark on everyday life) which I attended along with a lovely group of 15 likeminded students. Our two professors were brilliant and wonderful people who not only taught us the topic but also educated us on various life skills.

Each day started with an assembly of the entire camp followed by the respective academic classes and extracurricular activities like music, sports, acting and art that were all structured and organized perfectly.  One day was dedicated to expeditions where I got the opportunity to try out canoeing. We also got free time every evening when we had discos, played with friends, even did night sky photography or simply enjoyed a campfire! The campus was beautiful, the accommodation was very comfortable and we were served nutritious meals.

The DSA was an experience of a lifetime for me. Apart from the amazing things I learnt and the great time I had, I made some friends for life. We have also enrolled to be part of the alumni to continue having gatherings in the years to come.

A big thank you to ESK for giving me the wonderful opportunity of being part of the DSA!

Dhruv Reddi, S7ENA