Alexander Ribbink (Alumnus 1984)

General Manager of Keen Venture Partners

For me Strobl started as a tiny leaflet somewhere in the Law Faculty of the University of Amsterdam: "German Language and International Relations with a focus on Neutrality" oh yes and we will visit the Salzburger Festpiele... rarely did I see a more curious curriculum.

But I wanted to improve my German, and International Relations were exactly what I was interested in ("German language and nuclear weapons" to be more precise... but that course was not taught) so I applied and was accepted.

The beautiful surroundings, the extremely well taught lessons, the good food and the international atmosphere - and yes: the first real insight into Austria - all combined to make for a magical experience. But it was the other students like opera singer David Morris, Ruth Luketic, Michael Resch, Steven Schwabl, Megan Schwarz, Melanie Morton, Max Schachner, John Fenz and Kazuhiro Hashimoto, a Japanese diplomat, who even attended my wedding… and others whose names have escaped me with "age", that made it truly unforgettable.

We did not solve any of the world’s major issues, nor did we broker world peace but we learnt, we exchanged and we grew. What more can one ask of an institute called a Sommer Hochschule. Oh yes, and of course we laughed, we drank, we smoked and loved as well. A lot.

Thank you: please let’s keep places like this in existence. Their direct economical value may be "small", but their real life value is huge.

Alexander Ribbink
Strobl Alumnus 1984