Hi! My name is Cameron and I’m entering my third year at Arizona State University. I am pursuing a BSE in Environmental Engineering with the plan of attending graduate school to obtain a PhD related to air quality engineering. Research is one of my biggest passions and I was ecstatic when awarded the DAAD RISE scholarship. Not only did I get to do innovative research in my field of interest, I also got to travel internationally to Germany. I conducted my internship in Freiberg, which is a small town in east Germany. However, I was able to travel to many more cities such as Dresden, Leipzig, Berlin, and Munich. One of my favorite things about Germany is the greenery. Even in the larger cities it’s not hard to find parks, open fields, or large amounts of trees which add so much beauty to the country overall. I came into the internship only knowing the basics of German, but have definitely expanded my vocabulary and conversational skills. Along with the culture of Germany, the research I did has been incredibly rewarding. I have learned so many new skills in areas like catalyst development, running lab experiments myself and understanding their processes, and analyzing my results to figure out next steps. My mentor was incredibly helpful in guiding me along the way. I also met other RISE interns in Freiberg and formed some great connections. I thoroughly enjoyed my time here and can’t wait to learn and explore more. I definitely recommend this program to everyone and am excited to be its ambassador at my home university so that more students can have these fantastic experiences.

Hallo! My name is Madison Redding and I am going into my third year at Brock University, majoring in Applied Linguistics/TESL and minoring in German. Prior to starting at Brock, I had little to no understanding of German, but after completing roughly half of my minor and partaking in the CSSG program in Kassel, Germany, I feel I have a much better understanding of and grasp on the language and culture. I decided to study for a summer in Kassel because I would be spending the majority of my time in a smaller city (albeit being larger than both St. Catharines, where Brock University is located, and my hometown of Belleville, Ontario), while still getting the chance to visit larger and more well-known cities and landmarks, such as Berlin. I was in the classroom for roughly three hours a day, and when not in class or working on homework, my friends and I were out and about Kassel, taking part in everyday parts of German culture, from hanging out at the Biergarten or Orangerie to eating at what we deemed the best döner place in Kassel. Even when we were doing things familiar to us from Canada, such as shopping along the malls and strips in Königsplatz, we were partaking in everyday German life as we conversed and functioned in German. As a group, we took excursions to Berlin and Trier (and a day trip to Luxembourg) for a few days, and saw great and famous German landmarks, such as Brandenburger Tor and Porta Nigra. When I’m done with school, I would like to go into second-language teaching, specifically teaching English. Preferably, I would like to teach somewhere in Europe, and my time in Germany has not only helped confirm that that is truly something I want to do and go into, but that I truly enjoy living and partaking in German culture and that I can truly see myself living and working there in the future.

Hi! My name is Ruiqi Li, a final-year student in the Bachelor of Computer Science Co-operative program at Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada. I am originally from China. During elementary school, I was interested and passionate to study the modern history of Germany and its global relationship. Even though German history is not a part of my undergraduate study, I’m eagle to combine my interest with my professional goal. Having visited Ludwig-Maximilian Universität (LMU) in Munich as a research intern made my dream come true with the support of DAAD and Mitacs.

During workdays, I had a great chance to learn and collaborate with other Ph.D. students and researchers on the novel virtual reality (VR) application research. During weekends, I conducted my own field study of German culture & history by travelling and talking with locals. I travelled to many cities in Germany: Berlin, Bremen, Hamburg, Hannover, Cologne, Frankfurt, Bonn, Stuttgart, Leipzig, etc. But the geographic border isn’t the cultural border. I also went to other regions of German cultural influence in neighboring countries. I enjoyed being able to see the real cultural relics and exchange opinions with locals on their own history. All of them won’t show in any history books. Combinations of internship experience in Europe with my prior living and study experience in Asia, and North America, helped me grow up as an outward-looking and internationally-minded world citizen.

As a Young Ambassador, I look forward to sharing my own experience and supporting students to gain this experience.

Servus, I’m Ian Albreski, a member of the Hobart and William Smith Colleges class of 2023, where I am an English Major and a German Area Studies Minor. I have always had a passion for language and what it is able to communicate, both practically and through art. Because of this I knew that what I wanted out of my time in college was to expand my proficiency with my mother tongue and pursue fluency in a foreign language. Although I only began to study the German language in the fall of 2020, my love of the language and the culture has dramatically changed my life (for the better) over the past two years. From January until August of 2022 I lived in Tübingen and studied at Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen in the center of Baden-Württemberg.

For me, living in Germany was freedom. As a visually impaired person, being able to navigate the country without a car—through walkable city centers, a bike friendly culture, and robust public transit made Germany the only place I’ve lived where I didn’t feel limited by my disability. It was also exciting for the entire world to be so rich with learning opportunities. As a student of the German Language, it was one thing to attend lectures to help improve my language proficiency, but often just as interesting to translate graffiti or listen to the world around me. I have no doubt that following my graduation in the Spring of 2023, that I be returning to Germany for a master’s degree or to work. In Tübingen, I met incredible people from all around the world and visited so many castles; two things which I believe might be linked to the meaning of life. Chao!

Hello! My name is Anna Holle, and I am a senior at Indiana University studying German and Economics, with a minor in History. I started learning German in high school, and after participating in a small exchange with my hometown’s sister city, Löhne, I knew that I wanted to go back. I decided to study German at IU, and because of that, I was able to participate in the Academic Year in Freiburg (AYF) program at the Albert Ludwig University of Freiburg.

Freiburg, the sunniest city in Germany, sits at the edge of the Black Forest and is only a short train ride from both France and Switzerland. This modest Black Forest city proved to be a wonderful stomping ground for my year abroad. I was able to take classes at the university with other international students, as well as German students, making a variety of new friends from all over the world. During the spring semester, I even had the opportunity to do an internship at a local political science research institute. During my free time, I loved trying new cafes, finding new parks around town, and eating Eis. On weekends, I could hop on a train for a hike in the Black Forest, but staying in Freiburg was equally as lovely. With markets and festivals over several weekends, there was always something going on.

Overall, my experience in Freiburg vastly improved my German ability and gave me a desire to return to Germany. Especially after two years of living in the shadow of Covid-19, studying and living on my own an ocean away from all things familiar gave me a new sense of independence and taught me to embrace doing things outside of my comfort zone. As a Young Ambassador, I hope that I can help others to make the same decision to study and live in Germany.

Hi! I’m Ruby Roberg, an undergraduate student pursuing my B.Sc. in Chemical Engineering with minors in International Studies and Chemistry from Louisiana State University. In addition to serving as a DAAD Young Ambassador during the academic year, I’m also a chemistry tutor and an undergraduate researcher, studying microplastics from a colloid perspective.

My experiences during my time at LSU have enabled me to explore my passions of scientific and intercultural communication. As soon as I started university, studying abroad was a priority for me. After lots of planning, I was able to spend my sophomore year studying at Radboud University in The Netherlands. This was a very transformative experience for me early in my college career and quickly set me on my path of pursuing more international experiences. Sharing my experience abroad with individuals from countries all over the world and building these connections was such an enriching experience for me and I couldn’t wait to go back.

During my junior year, I was selected for the DAAD RISE Germany program, where I had the opportunity to spend three months as a research intern with the Chair of Thermodynamics at TU Kaiserslautern. This was my first experience with chemical engineering research, and I discovered I loved it. My mentors at TU KL were knowledgeable and welcoming, always quick to offer valuable advice on both research techniques and fun weekend trips in the area. Some of the most memorable moments were spent with my lab group and the other DAAD RISE interns I had the pleasure of getting to know.

My experience studying in Germany was pivotal in my college career, both personally and professionally, and I am happy to share more about my experience in hopes that I can help others discover their own adventure studying or researching in Germany.

Moinsin! I’m Nicholas Alvord, a 4^th year student at Montana State University currently getting a dual degree in Mechanical Engineering and German. As an Alaskan, I’m quite far removed from most of what happens in the rest of the world, but nevertheless I have fortunately been able to gain a lot of experience traveling and studying abroad in Germany. I received the prestigious CBYX scholarship in 2018-2019 and was sent to live in Schleswig-Holstein, attend school in a Gymnasium, and live with a host family for a year. Spending what was basically my “senior year” of high school in such an environment greatly influenced me and led me to try and go abroad in Germany again, in whatever way possible. Unfortunately, the emergence of COVID rendered almost all my previous plans impossible to carry out.

After years of COVID-related cancellations, in 2022 I received a DAAD RISE scholarship to help conduct research at the Technische Universität Berlin. I spent this last summer living in the middle of the Kreuzberg neighborhood of Berlin, with my main project at the university helping research the 3D-printing of composite materials (more specifically, of endless-fiber composites for prosthetics). As someone who already has an interest in the additive manufacturing field and German culture, I found both my research and the city of Berlin to be incredibly fascinating.

I am a big believer in the massive potential that traveling abroad can have in changing a person. I think everyone should have the opportunity to leave what they know behind, step out of their comfort zone, and learn more about themselves in a foreign land. Being placed in university context (through such a program such as the DAAD) can give you a great starting point to meet like-minded people in your age group from all around the world. Being a DAAD Young Ambassador, I hope to show students the importance of having a proper international experience and to help those who want to study abroad to have the best time possible.

Hello! My name is Madison Shimizu. I am currently a junior at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Arizona majoring in Anthropology and Criminal Justice with minors in German and Forensic Sciences. When I was a kid I didn’t really know what I wanted to be when I grew up, but I did know what I wanted to do as I grew up and that was to travel. Traveling internationally is a new experience for me as this is my very first time in Europe. I grew up traveling across the United States so when I had the opportunity to study abroad in Germany I immediately jumped on it.

Before traveling to Germany I had been studying the language for a few years so I was quite comfortable with it. I fell in love with the culture during High School and really began learning and memorizing the grammar during my time in  university. When I began my time at my institution in Tübingen, I immediately fell in love; living abroad in Germany is an experience that I am so grateful for not only because I am learning and growing so much but also because I am meeting new people from all over the world. Learning about German culture and language while actually living in Germany with other international students is an experience that I will never forget.

Though my time here in Germany was short, I can confidently say that these six months are such an important time in my life and have not only changed me, but also my views, ideas, and beliefs about the world. I hope to share this love I have found and created with other students who are passionate and want to take part in learning and living in a new culture!

Hello! My name is Emily Hawkins and I have been a German language learner for six years. I am an undergraduate at the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee, and I am going to major in German studies and minor in politics. I fell in love with the German language in high school, and in ninth grade I began participating in annual regional declamation competitions, which exposed me to a wide range of German poetry. Recently, I traveled to Berlin with classmates and was able to see the place where some of the literature I had studied was written. During our time in the city my classmates and I went through three weeks of grammar training at the rigorous DiD Deutsch-Institut as part of my university’s study abroad program. However, touring the city and scouting out locations by myself was truly the best part of my time there. Getting to know Berlin was an incredible experience, heightened by prior knowledge from previous German classes at my university, one in particular which focused on the history of the city. Having completed several readings in this course about everyday life on both sides of separated Berlin, it was enlightening to see descriptions from pages functioning as real life right before my eyes. The living history that surrounds the areas of the Berlin Wall is something that will stay with me for a long time. I believe it is important to closely consider historical and political context when studying literature, which is why I chose a minor in politics alongside a German major. I intend to continue studying German works of literature and I am excited to see how my experience in Berlin will influence that.

Hallo! My name is Chloe Jaiswal, and I am a third year at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. I am currently majoring in Computer Science + Chemistry and am from the Cincinnati area. I had first heard about DAAD RISE Germany when I was a junior in high school, and I knew that I wanted to apply when I was eligible. I had always loved traveling and thought it would be an incredible and unique opportunity to live in Germany while conducting research.

In the fall of 2019, I applied to the program and was excited for the different research areas that were listed as potential opportunities. One morning in the beginning of 2020 I woke up to the amazing news that I was matched with a PhD student at the Technical University of Kaiserslautern. Unfortunately, soon after hearing about this amazing news, I soon came to learn that my internship would be cancelled for the summer of 2020 due to COVID-18. However, I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to travel and complete the internship once conditions had improved.

After one more delay, I was able to travel to Kaiserslautern in early of September of 2021. During my time abroad, I met many amazing people and made some unforgettable memories. One of my favorite activities that me and the other interns would sometimes do after work was play soccer or “fußball” with some of the PhD students. My time in Kaiserslautern taught me many things about myself not only academically, but also personally and I am excited to show others my love for Germany by sharing my experiences as a DAAD Young Ambassador.

Hello! My name is Sasha Mintz and I am a student at Virginia Tech studying aerospace engineering with minors in physics, astronomy and German. I intend on graduating in Spring 2024 and pursue a doctorate in astrophysics. I have always been surrounded by the German culture and language growing up; my mother’s side of the family was all born there. As I entered high school, I began learning the language in hopes of better communicating with my grandmother and her relatives. During my spring semester of my freshman year, I heard about the Tandem-MINT program. This program involves being paired with a partner who speaks the language you want to learn and vice versa. Then, you meet about 13 times during the semester, speaking 1 hour of English and 1 hour of German. This course was meant to broaden each person’s language skills in their major, in hopes of helping them be able to speak more eloquently about what they study in their non-native language. Because of COVID-19, I was unable to travel to Germany and meet my partner in person in Bochum, but nonetheless, the course was enriching and fulfilling in all the same ways. I hope to pursue more study abroad opportunities in the upcoming years and further my experiences with the German language and culture. Currently, I work as an aerospace engineering intern at a research corporation that actually has an employee who lives in Germany! I hope to speak with him before I return to campus and practice the new skills I learned through my study abroad experience.

Hallo! My name is Avalon Pernell and I’m a senior majoring in journalism and politics and minoring in German at Washington and Lee University. I grew up in Tuscaloosa, AL where I began studying German in high school. These classes sparked my interest to continue studying the language in college and fed my growing want to visit the country during my time in undergrad.

After two study abroad cancellations I took a leap of faith to spend a semester in Berlin my junior year. In Berlin, I enjoyed the fruits of saying yes to greater spontaneity. From going to my first German comedy show, to attending the premiere of a Berlin state ballet, I was able to participate in the cultural life of Berlin. I also learned the power of taking a pause and prioritizing time outside with friends –preferably over coffee and cake. My coursework also prompted me to look more critically at my identity as an American and Black woman. From participating in a mock EU in a politics class to exploring the way institutions document history in my art history class, my coursework helped bring my textbooks to life.

My decision to take a leap of faith and study abroad after facing deferred travel plans for two years sparked one of my most transformative journeys to date. And I’m excited to help students interested in studying in Germany, as a DAAD ambassador this year!