Corinne Crane, Ph.D. Associate Professor of the Practice of German and Language Program Director
Kristen Dolan, Ph.D. Instructor of German
Stefani Engelstein, Ph.D. Professor of German and Department Chair
Susanne Freytag, M.A. Lecturing Fellow in German and Director, Duke in Berlin Summer Program
Kata Gellen, Ph.D. Associate Professor of German and Director of Undergraduate Studies
April Henry, Ph.D. Instructor of German
Heidi Madden, Ph.D. Librarian for Western European and Medieval & Renaissance Studies and Adjunct Assistant Professor of German
Jakob Norberg, Ph.D. Associate Professor of German and Academic Director, Duke in Berlin
Thomas Pfau, Ph.D. Alice Mary Baldwin Professor of English and Professor of German
Henry Pickford, Ph.D. Associate Professor of German and Director of Graduate Studies
Sarah Pourciau, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of German
Ingeborg Walther, Ph.D. Emerita Professor of the Practice of German
Jochen Wohlfeil, M.A. Resident Director, Duke in Berlin
This list also includes December 2019 graduates.
TJ is a double major in German and Psychology. After graduation, she plans to attend graduate school to pursue a Master of Social Work.
The summer session I spent Berlin was one of my favorite experiences with Duke German. We got to live in apartments right in the heart of Kreuzberg with other students from the program, and that made it feel like we were really integrated into the city. I spent much of my time not in class just exploring Berlin with friends and cramming as much activity as I could into six short weeks. Berlin is such a beautiful city, and I’m so grateful I got to experience it!
“It’s an honor and a pleasure to have taught TJ in four advanced German courses during her time at Duke, more than any other student in my 10 years at Duke. In this time I saw TJ transform from a capable but reserved student of German to a completely fluent speaker with a perfect accent! TJ truly speaks and writes enviably beautiful German, and has grown into a subtle and creative reader of texts: her presentations on German poetry, from Eichendorff to Enzensberger, blew me away time and again! I will truly miss her calm presence and incisive comments, and wish her all the best as she embarks on her career. Congratulations and please keep in touch!" – Kata Gellen
“It was a pleasure to have TJ in my German Media and Culture seminar. Her facility with the German language and her excellent presentation and debating skills are truly memorable, as is her love of German soccer. All the best to you, TJ!” – Susanne Freytag
Katja is a double major in German and Biology and an Environmental Science minor. After graduation, she will pursue a Masters in Cognitive and Behavioral Ecology at the Memorial University of Newfoundland, studying visual ecology of Atlantic puffins. She also fully counts on living in Germany for an extended period sometime in the future – she does not know when, but she is determined to make it happen!
The last day of my spring semester abroad in Berlin was an incredibly fond memory, and perhaps one of the best days of my life. I had reached a point where I was completely comfortable conversing in German, I had finally made real connections to people in Berlin, and I had found my special ‘spots’ despite this city’s sprawling nature. Everyone I had come to know over those six months: work colleagues, neighbors, friends from the program, ‘family,’ all came together to enjoy this last day with me. And I never could’ve had that day without Duke German. From my first class of 101 to my first taste of Berlin in the summer program to my German philosophy seminar this final semester, my passion for the German language and its culture has been the most surprising and fulfilling aspect of my Duke career. I am forever grateful for all of the opportunities Duke German has given me over these past four years. But I especially want to acknowledge those in the German department who have supported and encouraged me to push myself to learn more and step outside of my comfort zone, and who believed in me from the start. Ihr habt mir eine neue Welt eröffnet.
“Katja was a delight to have in the German Studies course in Berlin. She contributed essential aspects to the discussions. She was in Berlin from February through July 2019 and I did get to know her quite well because of our excursions to Weimar, Sachsen, Thüringen, Hamburg and Lübeck. Her final paper focused on the German Educational System especially on the format of the Abitur. Well done! I hope to see her back in Germany for graduate school.” – Jochen Wohlfeil
“Katja participated in the Duke in Berlin Program and attended my German class 319a in Spring 2019. She was such a great, happy and positive student! I really enjoyed her enthusiasm, her bubbly, happy manner, always striving for perfection. She especially aimed at improving her pronunciation skills to sound like a real German, and my goodness, what can I say - she really achieved it!!!” – Claudia Stehr, German Instructor, Duke in Berlin
“I never had the pleasure of teaching Katja, but I got to experience her positive energy and enthusiasm for German when she came in to my office to speak to me after returning from Berlin. I assumed she was a native speaker!” – Kata Gellen
“I looked forward to each meeting of my fourth-year German seminar on ethics and literature because of its two incredibly talented participants. Katja’s far-ranging curiosity, intelligence and expressive ebullience in spoken and written German ensured sophisticated observations, critical engagement with others, and intriguing discoveries and lines of reasoning one would typically find in a high-level graduate seminar. She wrote substantive and important papers, incorporating independent research, on the philosophy of hedonism, and the narrative and ethical intricacies of short stories by Franz Kafka and Christoph Hein. At her initiative and with the author’s approval the seminar is now planning to translate and publish the Hein story in English. This is all the more impressive as Katja’s primary academic field is biology, in which she no doubt will excel.” – Henry Pickford
“Katja was an excellent student when she took Intermediate German with me her sophomore year, but it has been such a thrill to watch her develop her skills over the past few years. It is a rare student who begins studying German at university and within less than four years attains such an advanced level. Katja took full advantage of all that Duke in Berlin had to offer, gave it her all, embraced the city and made it her own. It has been a pleasure getting to know such a wonderfully kind, joyous and generous young woman. I wish you all the best, Katja! I look forward to hearing all about your adventures.” – Susanne Freytag
Bridget is a double major in German and Mechanical Engineering, with a certificate in Aerospace Engineering. After graduation, she will be moving to Michigan to work for GM.
A really memorable experience was doing the Duke in Berlin program in 2019. I was able to meet other Duke students as well as international students and be part of extracurriculars and the TU, which was so much fun and a thoroughly enjoyable way to improve my German. Doing the program also allowed me to explore Berlin and travel a lot throughout Europe. Duke in Berlin was also a really nice way to take a break from the pace of Duke before coming back for my senior year.
“I had the pleasure to get to know Bridget quite well this year, as she was in two of my advanced German seminars. What a sharp, clear thinker! What an effective communicator! And what a thoughtful, mature human being! Bridget never missed a beat. Her questions were always on point and her contributions brought our class discussions to a new level. I always looked forward to what she had to say, not least because she made us all feel like a true exchange of ideas and opinions was taking place. Bridget is a talented scientist and Germanist, and I hope very much that she’ll somehow combine these two passions as she pursues her career goals. Congratulations!” – Kata Gellen
“Respect for Bridget who mastered all the Engineering courses in Berlin as well as the German language and studies courses. She became a stellar student and a role model for studying abroad. She will do well in any domain she chooses.” – Jochen Wohlfeil
Taylor is a Computer Science major and German minor.
“It was a pleasure getting to know Taylor over the summer in Berlin just a few years ago when he was only in his second semester of German, and then having him as an advanced student in my German Media and Culture seminar this past fall. I always looked forward to reading his journal entries and he never failed to impress me with his excellent presentations and his thoughtful engagement with his fellow students. All the best to you, Taylor!” – Susanne Freytag
“Was hast du gegessen?” became our greeting ritual in Berlin in 2018. Taylor was a dedicated student in the Berlin Program in my advanced German Studies course. He focused on the unification aspects of the GDR and FRG with special attention to the love parade / the impact of techno music. Millions of visitors flocked to Berlin for the parade and it became an important economic and cultural factor. Taylor understood the depth of the event and presented it well to an audience. He was also respected by the whole Berlin program due to his balanced personality and academic dedication. Here is wishing him all the best in his future endeavours." – Jochen Wohlfeil
Harrison is a double major in Public Policy Studies and Environmental Science and a minor in German. He was accepted to the Congress-Bundestag Young Professional Exchange program to spend next year in Germany – fingers crossed that the program will be able to run!
“My time in Berlin with the Fall 2018 Duke in Berlin cohort was transformational! Easily my favorite semester in my undergraduate career. Made life-long friends and connections. Enormous thanks to Daniela Jonas and Jochen Wohlfeil for making that such a wonderful experience. German 101 with Susanne Freytag was also a highlight of undergraduate academics.” – Harrison Branner
“I had the pleasure of getting to know Harrison as a first-year student in German 101 and 102. He proved himself to be dedicated and hard-working, but I particularly enjoyed his good humor, his sense of curiosity and especially his sense of solidarity with his fellow students. I wish you all the best, Harrison!” – Susanne Freytag
“Harrison, how I enjoyed reading his entries in the diary! Observing very closely his new surroundings, he has put this wonderfully on paper. Harrison has a great feeling for language and grasps things quickly; he is willing to think about controversial topics, which is great.” – Daniela Jonas, German Instructor for Duke in Berlin
Adamson is an Economics and a double minor in German and Computer Science. Next year he will work as a pre-doctoral research assistant in Economics at MIT.
My most memorable experience was definitely the Duke in Berlin program, and one of my favorite memories from the program was when a friend and I went to a Beer Garden where we ordered in German and talked a bit with the bartender. He was so impressed with our speaking skills despite being obviously American that he gave us both a free extra pint!
“I had the great pleasure of having Adamson in my course in the fall of 2019. I experienced him as a very conscientious, considerate young student who made great contributions in the class, so we had good discussions in the class. He gave a very interesting final project on "The Miracle of Bern," which outlined very well German post-war history. I have to say that I learned a lot about football, English, and German from Adamson this semester.” – Daniela Jonas, German Instructor for Duke in Berlin
Thando is a Mechanical Engineering major and German minor. After graduation, he will pursue a Masters in Technology and Policy at MIT.
The weekly weekend brunches with my host family in Berlin during my study abroad in the spring of 2017 are some of the memorable experiences I had in addition to the excursions that we went on around Germany during the study abroad.
“Yes, yes, yes! The greatest respect for a fine young man from Swaziland who tackled the challenges of an Engineering program in Berlin. He learned German and English and persevered in both languages, and moreover in challenging Engineering courses. He just radiates an aura everyone really, really enjoyed. All faculty and staff in Berlin did everything to make him feel supported during his time in Berlin. For sad reasons he had to interrupt his stay in Berlin briefly and attend to personal matters in Swaziland. Fond memories of the final reception when he became the MC and lots of emotions were in the room. I know everyone from the Berlin team wishes him all the best for his future. Any society can be fond of his expertise and personality.” – Jochen Wohlfeil
“I never had the pleasure of having Shakes in one of my classes, but was lucky enough to spend a bit of time with him in Berlin. He has certainly impressed me with his German skills, but even more so with his dedication and kind spirit. Congratulations, Shakes!” – Susanne Freytag
Maxwell is a Mechanical Engineering major with a certificate in Aerospace Engineering, and a minor in German.
“Max was part of the engineering Program 2018 in Berlin. If I remember correctly he was the youngest among the group which did not hinder him from being engaged academically in challenging courses of the Berlin University of Technology. One of our lengthy excursions brought us to Lübeck and we visited the Hanse Museum (the museum of Hanseatic league). It is a fairly new museum, very interactive, and has already won several awards for its pedagogical concept. Max focused on the history of the Hanse and its importance not only from an economic perspective but also its political depth as an important player as predecessor of the EU. Max learned so much during his sojourn in Berlin and Germany and it was a pleasure to be his instructor. Alles Gute, Max!” – Jochen Wohlfeil
Nalini is a double major in Economics and Computer Science and a German minor. This fall, she hopes to be working at Analysis Group in Chicago.
I’m excited to have been a part of such an incredible program.
“Nalini was a pleasure to have in my German 204 course in the fall of 2018. She proved to be a dedicated, hard-working and persistent student of German. She strived for perfection in both writing and speaking. It is rare to encounter such commitment in a language student in the fourth semester. I wish you all the best, Nalini!” – April Henry
“I thoroughly enjoyed having Nalini in class for her first year of German. She always strove for excellence and brought such a wonderful positive energy to the class. I also particularly enjoyed our many chats outside the classroom. I wish you all the best, Nalini!” – Susanne Freytag
Meg is an English major with a double minor in German and Theater Studies. She will be attending law school this fall at Vanderbilt Law School.
Some of my favorite memories in Duke German are doing homework with Nick and Jenna at St. Oberholz in Rosenthaler Platz in Berlin, going to the local Dahlem Christmas Market with my host family, and sitting by the Colonnade outside the Nationalgalerie after class.
Sean is a Mathematics major with minors in Computer Science and German. After graduation, he plans to live and work in Chicago, IL.
My most important experiences were traveling inside of Germany and Berlin. There are too many to count, but seeing another part of the world was a great experience.
Jill is a double major in Neuroscience and Linguistics, and a minor in German. She plans to move to St. Louis soon to continue her work from the past two summers in a WashU brain tumor lab. She will also apply to Medical Scientist Training Programs for matriculation in Fall 2021. In the long term, she would like to pursue an MD/PhD in Cancer Biology and become a physician-scientist. And to keep up her German, of course!
I had two favorite Duke German experiences. The first was researching a project on Lagersprache (concentration camp language) in my German sociolinguistics class. This was an incredible opportunity for me to pay tribute to my ancestors (who survived/perished in the Holocaust) and to apply knowledge from my Linguistics major to my German studies. The second was the independent study I conducted with Dr. Engelstein in Fall 2019. I researched metaphors for cancer throughout German scientific history. This was another opportunity to marry my loves of Linguistics and German – and to incorporate my interest in cancer research (I work in Duke's Pediatric Brain Tumor Lab) as well!
“What a delight it was to have Jill Jones as a student in German sociolinguistics! One of the highlights for me was Jill’s fascinating presentation on the unique linguistic phenomenon of Lagersprache (a German variety used by prisoners in concentration camps during World War II). Her beautiful essays on the concept of linguistic variation in the German-speaking world also showed me what a talented writer Jill is in German! I am excited to follow Jill’s career as she embarks on life beyond Duke. Congratulations, Jill, on this great achievement!” – Cori Crane
“Jill Jones is extraordinarily intellectually curious and is a pleasure to work with! Jill designed an exciting and sophisticated independent study on the history of cancer research in Germany that created new knowledge by investigating rare books from early cell biology through the Nazi period. Jill’s sense of excitement about learning is infectious and we both learned an amazing amount together. I also want to recognize and commend Jill’s dedication to preserving and honoring the memory of victims of the Holocaust in Yom Hashoah ceremonies every year. Congratulations on graduation, Jill! I know you’ll do great things and can’t wait to hear about them.” – Stefani Engelstein
Fulya is a psychology major and German minor. In fall 2020 she plans to begin a Masters program at the Vrije Universitiet Amsterdam with a full merit scholarship. In the meantime, she is working full-time as a sustainability & communications executive at one of the biggest conglomerates in Turkey.
I think what I liked the most about my German classes was that they always had a component that stayed with me after the semester ended: whether it was a film, a Youtube channel, a news platform, or any cultural/historical trivia. In academia, some courses may feel like they are so far removed from the real world, but that was not true for the German department.
“I got to know Fulya in two courses during her time at Duke, and it was a true pleasure not only to see her grow into a truly fluent and elegant speaker and writer of German, but to witness her personality and style find expression in German, Fulya’s third language (after Turkish and English). Fulya has a wry sense of humor, a deep appreciation for irony, a sharp intelligence, and above all a sincere desire to cut through the nonsense and truly learn about, experience, and understand the world around her. From Lessing to Kafka, Fulya offered creative and insightful readings of literary works, from which I learned a great deal! I wish all the best as she pursues a career in the psychology of advertising in the Netherlands.” – Kata Gellen
“Fulya was a pleasure to have in my German Media Culture course last fall. She was wonderfully outspoken and engaging and I always looked forward to reading her journal and hearing what she had to say in class, especially when it came to politics. I wish you all the best, Fulya!” – Susanne Freytag
Cooper is a double major in Biomedical Engineering and Electrical & Computer Engineering, and a minor in German.
“Cooper was a pleasure to have in my writing-intensive German course this spring! He writes with quiet sophistication, a penetrating capacity for observation, and warm intelligence. His contributions in class were always of great value—he never said anything unless he was certain it was wonderful (Cooper, you should talk more! the world could use more of your voice!)—and he also stood out for his especially supportive, kind demeanor towards his classmates. I wish him all the best and am certain that exciting things are in store for him.” – Sarah Pourciau
Michelle is a double major in Biology and Theater Studies, and a minor in German. She is interested in working in conservation biology, but still deciding whether that will mean working in research, or in a zoo or wildlife sanctuary, or something else entirely.
One of my favorite experiences in Duke German was doing Duke in Berlin the summer after my freshman year.
“I’ve had the pleasure of having Michelle in two classes, and was also able to spend time with her on the Duke in Berlin summer program. I particularly enjoyed her thoughtful and creative contributions in my German Media and Culture seminar. Congratulations, Michelle!” – Susanne Freytag
Jenny is a Chemistry major with a concentration in Chemical Biology and a German minor. She studied in Berlin in the fall of 2018.
Julia is a Mathematics and Computer Science double major and a German minor. She studied in Berlin in the summer of 2017.
“What a delight to have gotten to know Julia during her time at Duke. She is not only a memorably hard-working and enviably well-organized student, but has a wonderfully wry sense of humor I so appreciate. I wish you all the best, Julia. Please don’t ever lose your singular appreciation for German operatic arias!” – Susanne Freytag
Paula is a Psychology major and German minor. After graduation, she plans to work as a research assistant in a psychology lab for a few years, and then attend grad school for clinical psychology.
The most important experiences I had in Duke German were exploring with the Duke in Berlin cohort in the spring of my junior year. My German improved immensely and I learned so much about German culture. Another one of my memorable experiences was developing a connection with my two German professors at Duke: Dr. Henry and Professor Freytag. They were amazing and helpful professors.
“When I met Paula as a first-year advisee, she immediately impressed me as the kind, thoughtful friend that everyone in the dorm would look to for calm advice. I never thought that I would eventually have her as a student, but was thrilled when she registered for German 101. One thing led to another and Paula ended up spending a semester in Berlin. It was great spending some time with her there and when she returned, I had the pleasure of having her in an advanced seminar, where I was reminded again of my first impression of her. Along with the other students in the class, Paula did excellent work, but what made her stand out was her intelligent, reflective, and always kind responses to others in the class. It occurs to me now as I write this, that this fits so beautifully with her chosen career in the field of Psychology. I wish you all the best in graduate school, Paula. It’s been such a pleasure knowing you these past four years.” – Susanne Freytag
“Paula was a very sincere, thoughtful and inquisitive student while she was on the Berlin Program. She was very well respected by everyone in the group due to her fine character. Her project in the Culture Course focused on the discussion of the google campus in Kreuzberg. It demonstrated the high degree of immersion Paula experienced while in Berlin. The whole discussion revolved around gentrification, Gegenkultur, Neoliberalism and its impact on society. Not an easy topic, but Paula presented it very well with memorable insights. I do wish her the very best and am looking forward to seeing her back in Berlin.” – Jochen Wohlfeil
Jessica is a double major in Statistical Science and Computer Science and a minor in German. After graduation, she will be working at a start-up in New York City as a data scientist.
“Duke in Berlin was definitely one of the highlights of my college experience. I loved getting to explore the incredible city of Berlin during the week and then traveling all over Europe each weekend. Some notable Berlin moments: standing five feet away from Angela Merkel at the Bundesregierung open house, showing my parents and brother all my favorite sites in Berlin when they visited over Thanksgiving break, and going to a German-style holiday party at my German professor’s house and playing with her adorable kids.” – Jessica Needleman
Dan is an Economics major and a double minor in History and German. Starting this fall he will be working as a trader at a proprietary trading firm in NYC, Flow Traders.
Some of my favorite memories of Duke academics as a whole occurred within the German department. I recall during my freshman spring, while enrolled in German 101, how I had not yet until then experienced at Duke a class in which you both learn and make friends. Most of my classes were just classes, but German 101 with April Henry was a blast every day and I am still good friends with a number of people I met in that class. Another fond memory of Duke German would have to be Duke in Berlin (Fall 2018), where again I became great friends with a few students, both Duke and Davidson, through that program. I absolutely fell in love with the city of Berlin and have shown it to my family and my girlfriend, and had a great experience with my host mother, Marion Kolb. A top Duke in Berlin experience would have to be touring the Stasi Prison at Hohenschönhausen (I've now been to tours there twice since), and a top memorable Berlin experience would have to be singing karaoke at Mauerpark one Sunday in September or October.
“Inquisitive, witty, charismatic and gifted are just a few words that describe Daniel North, who began his German adventure in my German 101 and 102 courses. It was pleasure having him lead the class in group discussions and activities with a tremendous amount of maturity and humor in German. I have fond memories of those classes because of my interactions with Dan. Congratulations Dan! I have no doubt that you will be very successful.” – April Henry
James is a Political Science major with a concentration in political institutions, and a German minor. He studied in Berlin in fall 2018.
“When I think back to the course James was in, the first thing that comes to mind is how good-humoured the students were: they almost always sang before classes started. James was a wonderful, attentive and very interested student. His sense of humour, his openness and his great willingness to learn new things, for example the German language with all its complexities, or Berlin and its culture, were beautiful to observe and I was very happy to have him in my course.” – Daniela Jonas, German Instructor for Duke in Berlin
Liam is a Computer Science major and a double minor in German and Philosophy. After graduation he is headed to the San Francisco area to work as a software engineer at an education software company called IXL Learning.
My favorite memories of Duke German are in Berlin (I think anyone who's been will agree that that's no slight to the German programming at Duke -- come on, it's Berlin!). I remember especially running along the Spree through Treptower Park; a long conversation with a charming, lonely old man at his "Kiezkneipe;" joining a weekly basketball league, and just roaming the city late at night in the cool summer breeze.
“It was a joy to have Liam in my advanced German class. He truly delights in the idiosyncrasies of language, and was always eager to learn more about how certain phrases worked and what certain expressions meant! Liam was always full of energy and had a real knack for creative, outside-the-box readings of a wide array of texts. – Kata Gellen
“It is my great privilege to have worked with Liam in two courses. In my first-year seminar on Moral Dilemmas he demonstrated his quick intelligence and debating experience, and enhanced the quality of class discussions immensely. I was delighted when he later took my Marx/Nietzsche/Freud course, and I really enjoyed our office-hour discussions of his thoughts and original ideas for papers. Liam was always fully present, intent and reflective while also friendly and welcoming of the give-and-take of philosophy. It was a genuine pleasure to have him in my classes.” – Henry Pickford
“From the very beginning in German 101, Liam was fully on board with the language. Fueled by yoghurt pretzels that first semester, he proceeded to learn German like a pro. I was thrilled that he was able to join us for Duke in Berlin last summer. It has been a pleasure getting to know Liam over the course of his Duke career. He has impressed me not just with his intellect and linguistic skills, but with his wonderfully sanguine disposition and clever sense of humor. All the best to you, Liam!” – Susanne Freytag
Nicholas is a Global Cultural Studies in Literature major, with a double minor in German and Education. He studied in Berlin in fall 2018.
“It was a pleasure to have Nick in my German Media and Culture seminar last fall. His presentation on Peter Handke and the moral responsibility of literature was memorably impressive, but he was also just a great guy to have in class. Congratulations and all the best, Nick!” – Susanne Freytag
“When the course with Nicholas started in autumn 2019, I first experienced Nick as quite reserved. But what a transformation: he became more and more open, his German better and better and better! That was so wonderful to watch. His contributions to the course were great and led to very interesting discussions. He was very interested in German literature and I miss his contributions to it.” – Daniela Jonas, German instructor for Duke in Berlin
Jenna is a Public Policy major with a minor in German.
My study abroad experience in Berlin fall of 2018 was one of the best decisions I made at Duke, and because of it I met some of my best friends. I hope to one day return to Berlin to live, work, or study.
Victoria is a Computer Science major and German minor. She is currently a software engineer at Fidelity Investments, though she hopes to one day become a full-time (as opposed to hobbyist) painter!
Spending nearly 7 months in Berlin was no doubt the one singular thing that made my time at Duke worth it. I’ll never forget the experiences I had, the contentment I felt, and the feeling of the world at my fingertips… I met my all-time favorite professor and got the amazing opportunity to paint a portrait for her. It was such a unique and rewarding experience from start to finish. As for everything else—all the morning runs around Schlachtensee, sunny hangouts with friends at Tempelhofer Feld, trips on the S-Bahn—shoutout to S-Sundgauer Straße—and everything in between... I’d give anything to go back. Berlin made me a better person and also showed me my full potential.
“What an interest Victoria had in history! She knew all the dynasties in Germany and focused on the history of the Markgrafschaft Brandenburg in an incredibly scrutinizing way. Her oral presentation and lengthy written work revealed enormous knowledge of details and in depth understanding of complex developments in German history. While in Berlin she took full advantage of all academic offerings, the interaction with her host family, and getting to know the Berlin culture. Her “Doppelbegabung” (talent in two fields) let her master direct enrollment courses in German in Computer Science as well (databases, programming). Before she went back to the US we met for coffee and cake in the Königliche Gartenakademie in Dahlem. It seemed like an appropriate place for wishing her all the best for her future. – Jochen Wohlfeil
“Victoria participated in the Duke in Berlin Program and attended my German class 319a in Spring 2019. What a joy having her in my class! She was such a gifted student in such a variety of fields - easily handling complex numbers, words and colors - with a lot of creativity and thoughtful reflection! I still remember her remarkable creative writing assignments in German. I have also been struck by her painting skills as well as her coding! I wish Victoria all the best for her future!” – Claudia Stehr, German instructor, Duke in Berlin
“In addition to the Duke in Berlin program, Victoria also did an internship with a Berlin company. The managing directors were impressed by her skills, her commitment and her open-mindedness. She is still very much missed by everyone there. Victoria: Stine and Marek (the directors of artfacts) say you can come back any time, your place is still available! – Daniela Jonas, German instructor for Duke in Berlin
DEPARTMENT of GERMAN STUDIES