Maximilian Thiersch serves as the National Vice President of the Student Organization of Switzerland & Liechtenstein (USO), where he represents a national constituency of 1.1 million youth in discussions with federal decision-makers.
Maximilian’s involvement in student advocacy began at the secondary school level, where he served as Student Body President at MNG Rämibühl in Zurich. Since joining the USO executive board, he has focused on large-scale institutional coordination and education policy. A central project of his tenure was directing the National Student Assembly 2025 at ETH Zurich, which convened 80 student body presidents alongside federal politicians and the Chief of the Swiss Armed Forces to discuss the future of the Swiss school system. Additionally, he co-led the organization of the Oxford Debating Competition Switzerland, a USO project designed to foster critical thinking and rhetorical skills among students.
His work often extends to international forums, where he has represented Swiss youth interests at the European Parliament in Brussels and the World Forum for Democracy in Strasbourg. These delegations focused on international education frameworks, specifically the Erasmus+ mobility program. Nationally, he contributed to the debate on digital literacy in schools; his perspective on framing AI as a critical asset for Switzerland’s future competitiveness was featured in a front-page cover story for 20 Minuten.
