ETH Zürich, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology has been attracting international talent as a centre for education since 1855. On Friday 23 May 2025, the evening sun bathed the historic buildings in a golden glow. As students toasted the end of another week and the imminent conclusion of the academic year, another group – on the 2025/2026 SEET study support programme – gathered at the Alumni Pavillion for the very first time.
29 mentees from Afghanistan, Eritrea, Georgia, IR Iran, Sudan, Syria, Turkey and Ukraine, together with 25 mentors will embark on a journey together over the next 12 months. Another 10 mentees will participate in the programme without a mentor.
Over 2 ½ hours, a group of strangers who had arrived alone for the kick-off event with a visible sense of nervousness, quickly filled the room with conversation and laughter, skilfully guided by SEET’s Nora Diethelm and Stéphanie Reust who co-led the evening in English and German.
Even those who could not make the event physically were able to participate online, supported by one of the SEET team sat thousands of kilometres away in South America. The volunteer spirit of our organisation exemplified perfectly.
After a couple of Icebreaker exercises, the evening quickly got down to business. The study support programme will feature three different pillars, focused on Mentoring; Information, Skills and Networking; and Funding.
Once the mentees and mentors in the room had been introduced to each other, the mentees were asked to identify their goals for the next twelve months. What do they hope to study? What do they hope to achieve? What are their dreams?
Utilising the SMART methodology (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Timely), each mentee-mentor tandem was then asked to identify the resources that would be required to achieve these goals, and whether any obstacles may hinder their progress.
As part of the programme, SEET provides a financial sum for each mentee to help them overcome financial hurdles on their educational path. Within the amount assigned, each mentee can ask SEET to cover the costs for language courses or other courses required to access university. These could range from university fees to other costs related to preparatory activities such as laptops, books, or other materials.
As the evening progressed, new bonds were made; confident smiles had replaced nervous smiles and diary dates were set for future meetings together. The work that Nora and Stéphanie asked everyone to undertake had clearly made everyone hungry, with barely a crumb left from the delicious Lebanese buffet provided for everyone!
Before the mentees drifted back into Zurich, or on trains taking them home to St Gallen, Fribourg, Basel and Lugano, the full group of mentees, mentors and multinational SEET volunteers gathered together for a photograph to commemorate the occasion.
The last two mentees and mentor to depart were still in close conversation as the Alumni Pavillion lights were switched off. As they talked about the experience of their often difficult journeys to Switzerland, and the inability to travel back to see family, there was a palpable sense of sadness. Then one of the mentees said something astonishing.
“Tonight, when I came here, I was a bit scared” he explained. “I did not know anyone, and I didn’t know what to expect. After the icebreaker, we all had to check the reverse side of our name badge. Each badge had a picture of a bird, and the person in the room who had the matching picture, I understood would be my mentor.”
“Suddenly, someone was stood in front of me…and I knew him. After leaving our home countries individually many years ago, we had both travelled almost 2,000km to study a bachelor’s degree in India, and met on the same course. Then we lost contact. Tonight, I found my best friend again. And I am so happy.”
Earlier in the evening, the mentors and mentees were posed with the following question: Imagine in one year from now, we all meet again. Same time, same place. What do you want to have achieved, and how do you want to reflect on the last twelve months?
Over the next twelve months, we will aim to share a mix of personal stories from both mentees and mentors, as well as key milestones during the study support programme. The meeting of two old friends, who will now support each other in their new home country of Switzerland, is already an incredibly special start.
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