5 Questions with Simon Schünemann
1. How did you get into your current role at Project Access?
Back in 2021, I was actually a mentee myself while applying to UK universities. I joined a Team Germany bootcamp and had a mentor who made a huge difference in my application—especially since my high school in rural Germany wasn’t familiar with the UK system.
Once I started uni, I launched a Project Access campus team at WHU and took on various roles, including DACH-Region Program Director and Global Director of Programs, before stepping into my current position as Chief Mentorship Officer.
2. What is your favourite part of PA?
Definitely the community! I’ve met so many inspiring people from all over the world at PA. Everyone’s always ready to help each other out, so it really feels like one big, supportive family.
“Everyone’s always ready to help each other out, so it really feels like one big, supportive family. “
I especially loved attending the Project Access Finland Bootcamp in Helsinki and the Project Access International Summit in London last year—they were both unforgettable highlights of 2024 for me!
3. What’s your favourite movie genre?
I’m all about action, war, and historical films—bonus points if they manage to blend all three!
4. Best study tip?
Understand that it’s supposed to be hard! If it were easy, you’d already know it—so try not to get discouraged. Keep pushing through those tough moments, because that’s when you’re growing the most.
5. How do you measure the success and impact of PA’s mentorship initiatives?
I think that the best KPIs for our success are 1) the number, 2) satisfaction, and 3) admissions rate of the mentees that we support. Based on those stats, I’ve seen some amazing progress in the last 1.5 years that I have been at PA, and I’m confident that we will accomplish even more in the next year! We’ve got two new projects in the works—more info coming soon 🙂.