About Jaspal

I never liked school and I often failed exams. I had to repeat year 9 and graduated with really bad grades. After graduating, I completed 10-months of compulsory Zivildienst (civic service) caring for elderly and disabled persons. I experienced first-hand not only about the hardships of my clients, but also that of my colleagues. The professional nurses with whom I worked, mostly East European and African women, were completely overworked and underpaid. Yet, they still managed to carry out their duties with professionalism and kindness. After my service finished, I travelled and worked here and there, before eventually deciding to enrol at university --- to be frank, I didn't know what else to do. For the Magister Artium degree at Johannes Gutenberg Universtät Mainz, we had to choose three subjects.  I knew I like history and that I'm good at English, so these were my first two choices. I asked my mum what else I should study. Her answer was determined and clear: "You have to study philosophy! This will give you solid foundations on which you can build." So I did and I thoroughly enjoyed my humanities education at Mainz, which took eight years to finish.