By Reza Baziani-Körber,
I took part in the New Bridge Fellowship shortly before I started working at the European Parliament. At that time, I had a strong academic background and practical experience, but most political institutions still felt like places I had read about rather than spaces where I naturally saw myself.
During the fellowship, we visited institutions such as people working there. Seeing how people with different backgrounds and opinions shape these organizations gave me confidence that my own perspective could be valuable in such spaces and inspired me to take the next, more ambitious step in my career.
When I started at the European Parliament, the experience from the New Bridge fellowship helped me find my footing more quickly. I felt more comfortable in an international environment, contributed earlier, and took on responsibility with greater confidence. From there, I moved to the German Bundestag and eventually to my current role for the Federal Government Commissioner for Human Rights Policy and Humanitarian Assistance. I am now working in the field that has always been closest to my heart: human rights.
The fellowship also changed the way I view transatlantic relations. Before New Bridge, I mainly thought about them in terms of formal political formats. Through my conversations with the American fellows, I came to understand how much these relationships depend on personal connections, trust, and ongoing dialogue, especially when the political climate is difficult. This interest later led me back to the US for a study tour focused on social cohesion. Because New Bridge had already given me a personal understanding of the country, I was able to approach this second experience with much greater context.
“I have grown so much through the relationships with my American colleagues, and I am deeply grateful for that.”
Since the New Bridge Fellowship, I have returned to the US almost every year. Some of the people I met through the fellowship have become close friends, and those friendships mean a lot to me. I still learn from the way many of them approach things, professionally and personally. My American colleagues tend to start with what might be possible and then figure out how to get there, while in Germany we usually begin by listing all the reasons something probably will not work. This shift in perspective has made me more eager to move forward and take risks in various areas of my life instead of holding myself back. I have grown so much through the relationships with my American colleagues, and I am deeply grateful for that.
I am now in my second year as Fellows Relations Chair of the New Bridge Alumni Council, which gives me the opportunity to give something back to a network that has shaped me both personally and professionally. It is a privilege and honor to represent so many accomplished and generous people and to help strengthen the connections between them.