Scott Windham, professor of German in the Department of World Languages and Cultures, presented �鶹��Ƶ’s interdisciplinary German Studies board as a case study at the German Studies Association conference in late September.

Windham took part in a three-day seminar called “Re-envisioning the German curriculum, twenty years on.” The goal of the seminar was to chart the ways in which German and German Studies programs have evolved in the nearly twenty years since the Modern Language Association issued a call for dramatic curricular and programmatic change in 2007.

Seminar participants included �鶹��Ƶ, Georgetown, MIT, Princeton, Columbia, Emory, Arizona State, Waterloo, Arizona, Vermont, Franklin & Marshall, Furman and other highly-regarded German and German Studies programs. Participants discussed progress made over the past two decades and still-needed curricular, programmatic, structural, and administrative reforms in order to ensure the vitality of German and other language programs in the coming decades.

Windham’s contribution to the seminar was to position �鶹��Ƶ’s interdisciplinary German Studies board as a way to introduce interdisciplinarity into language programs in a structured and thoughtful way, and to boost the reach of language programs. �鶹��Ƶ’s German Studies board consists of 16 members from four schools, ten departments, and three staff units.

And that was a challenge. Because I entered college in 2003, at the beginning of the war in Iraq, when everyone and their grandmother was convinced that learning Arabic was the ticket to getting a job in government. At the school I went to, all students were preregistered for classes with the exception of first-year students and graduate students, who had to attend classes before they could register. All classes were required to leave three seats open for first years and graduate students. So, I showed up to the first day of Beginning I Arabic along with 70 other students, all hoping to get one of those three seats. The instructor announced that he would not allow anyone to register for those three seats until there were only three students left in the class who wanted them. And so I proceeded to wait the rest of them out. I came to every class and did all the work in the class, without any guarantee that I would get in officially or get credit for it until enough people gave up that I was offered the slot. So the first thing I learned in my college career was that I would have to fight for the Humanities and they were worth fighting for. I am still doing that work today.

But aside from Arabic, I really didn’t know what else I wanted to study. So I started off by studying everything. I took classes in history, and political science, and anthropology, and comparative literature. And calculus, and biology, and Religious Studies. And they were all great classes, but I found that I had a particular love of that place where religion, history, literature, and philosophy met and connected. Those classes lit a fire in me. Because they showed me that in places and periods and languages that were wholly different from my own people had grappled with the questions that provoked and haunted me, questions of deep existential meaning and ongoing political urgency – and that they had expressed their answers in language that was profoundly beautiful. When I studied those answers, I found myself connected to peoples, movements, and cultures larger myself.  And as I went deeper and deeper into my studies, I found that they were changing me. Once I learned how to read deeply, I found that I could read anything, including the social and political institutions in which I was embedded. I learned to question everything, and to produce my own critical answers. I put myself to work imagining other, better worlds.

The period that I grew up in was really not perfect. I went to college – and then lived in the Middle East – during the Iraq War. A war of choice, when the President decided to invade a country that posed no threat to the United States, largely to secure access to vast oil resources. I then graduated from college into a massive financial disaster caused by the loosening of banking regulations so that very rich people could become even richer. So I can’t say that it was an easy time to be a young person – if there is ever an easy time to be a young person.

But I do think that it is much harder to be a young person today. I went through college at a time when few students had personal laptops, before the invention of the smart phone or the ipad or the rise of social media. The students I went to school with didn’t all like me – but they were all really present along with me in the spaces we shared. The political culture at the time seemed divisive, but it was nothing in comparison to the chaos and fury of the current age. It’s hard right now y’all.

But one of the things that is making it even harder is that the institutions and entities who are invested in dividing us from each other, in fracturing our attention and undermining our interpersonal relationships – are also selling us a particular approach to knowledge. This approach is, “the extractive attitude.” It is based on the idea that the purpose of knowledge is to extract resources from the environment and money from the economy – which ultimately means from consumers. This attitude is not new. I know from my own field of African history that the European governments who colonized various territories sent scholars out in the wake of the armies, geographers and engineers to survey and map the land, and linguists and anthropologists to learn languages, and catalogue customs. The purpose of these colonial scholar-soldiers was to facilitate the pacification of the population and the extraction of natural resources. Knowledge has always been a form of power. And then, just as now, deep engagement in storytelling, religious worldviews, and philosophy was disregarded and rejected as impractical. Education, according to the extractive attitude, is a product whose value measured as a return on investment. This attitude invites us to use learning to maintain a position in cultural and class warfare.

The opposite of the extractive attitude is a humanistic attitude. A humanistic attitude values knowledge for its ability to bring meaning and joy into our lives and our communities. A humanistic attitude evaluates our present relative to both our past and our vision of the future. A humanistic attitude is an approach that finds richness and complexity in things that seem simple. And it does those things through a deep engagement with the ideas and the art that have been produced by humans through the ages.

When I went to college I had to fight for a seat in a language class against the forces of opportunism. And I want you to fight for humanism, too. And it is a fight sometimes. A fight to maintain vision and resolve in the face of a thousand messages that tell us that the humanistic attitude is “useless.” The makers and marketers of new technological products are trying to convince us to give up our capacity for deep engagement. To give up our ability to generate ideas, to read literature, to think about the past, to make and appreciate art and culture, and to communicate with each other. To convince us to give up on humanism they threaten us with catastrophe and apocalypse. They warn that their products will change society so deeply that it will be unrecognizable, or that they might destroy humanity entirely. But I have my own message. For anyone who is worried about understanding these forces, or who is struggling to make sense of the world right now – the Humanities can help.

Those of us in Religious Studies have studied apocalyptic predictions, we know the distance between what they promise and what they deliver. Those of us in History have studied revolutions and know how politics and new forms of media align. Those of us in World Languages and Cultures know that our understanding of the world is shaped by language and how to connect with people across cultural differences. Those of us in Philosophy know that the potential for meaningful change is rooted in examination and reflection.  And those of us in English know (to paraphrase James Baldwin), that it is literature that teaches us that the things that torment us the most are the very things that connect us with all the people who are alive, or who have ever lived. The Humanities are a repository of our shared humanity and the heart of our capacity to be, not just human, but better humans. More than ever, humanity needs the Humanities. And right now, the Humanities needs you.

Scott Windham, professor of German in the Department of World Languages and Cultures, participated in a three-day seminar called “Re-envisioning the German curriculum, twenty years on.” The goal of the seminar was to chart the ways in which German and German Studies programs have evolved in the nearly twenty years since the Modern Language Association issued a call for dramatic curricular and programmatic change in 2007.

Seminar participants included �鶹��Ƶ, Georgetown, MIT, Princeton, Columbia, Emory, Arizona State, Waterloo, Arizona, Vermont, Franklin & Marshall, Furman, and other highly-regarded German and German Studies programs. Participants discussed progress made over the past two decades and still-needed curricular, programmatic, structural, and administrative reforms in order to ensure the vitality of German and other language programs in the coming decades.

Professor Windham’s contribution to the seminar was to position �鶹��Ƶ’s interdisciplinary German Studies board as a way to introduce interdisciplinarity into language programs in a structured and thoughtful way, and to boost the reach of language programs. �鶹��Ƶ’s German Studies board consists of 16 members from four schools, ten departments and three staff units.

Wedged between Germany, France and Belgium, the small European nation has three official languages – Luxembourgish, French and German – while English and Portuguese are also widely spoken, reflecting the country’s large immigrant population and international workforce.

This fall, an exhibition at �鶹��Ƶ will offer the campus community a closer look at how those languages intersect with the country’s history, culture, education and migration.

“The Luxembourgish Language(s)” exhibition will be on display in the lobby of Steers Pavilion from Monday, Sept. 28, through Friday, Oct. 9, before moving to Sato Commons from Nov. 8-12.

Across 10 poster exhibits, the exhibition traces Luxembourg’s linguistic story and examines how multilingualism functions in daily life. QR codes connect visitors with interactive experiences, while a touchscreen display offers additional videos and activities.

The exhibition was developed by the Zenter fir d’Lëtzebuerger Sprooch (ZLS), a Luxembourg-based language research and policy institute supported by the country’s Ministry of Culture.

Derek Lackaff, associate professor of visual communication, coordinated �鶹��Ƶ’s hosting of the exhibition. His interest in Luxembourg includes what he describes as the country’s “linguistic landscape” – the ways language appears throughout the visual world, from signs and packaging to billboards and digital interfaces.

It is a subject Lackaff also incorporates into his Contemporary Practices in Visual Communication course, where students examine how visual designers approach text and typography in multilingual settings.

“The goal of the course is to expose students to new ideas and opportunities in design,” Lackaff said. “It uses language as a bridge to connect visual design to bigger, interesting questions about communication and culture.”

Students in the course consider both local and international examples, providing a broader view of how designers communicate in spaces where multiple languages coexist.

Lackaff worked with ZLS sociolinguist Sarah Muller to bring the exhibition to �鶹��Ƶ.

“We are happy to see this interest in our exhibition on the Luxembourgish language and languages in Luxembourg.” Muller explained. “We hope the �鶹��Ƶ community enjoys learning more about the Luxembourgish context, and the exhibition also offers much more beyond that: Visitors can increase their awareness of multilingual societies in general and the sometimes unusual contexts of small languages. Such insights are relevant well beyond the Luxembourgish or even a European context.”

The exhibition has drawn support from across the university, with co-sponsors including the Department of Visual Communication, School of Communications, Isabella Cannon Global Education Center, Department of World Languages and Cultures, and German Studies Program.

For Lackaff, that broad campus involvement reflects the exhibition’s connections to larger conversations surrounding global education, culture and communication.

“The exhibition themes connect well to many conversations we are having around campus and with our students,” Lackaff said.

The exhibition will also complement several campus celebrations and hosted events this fall, including National Humanities Week, the Mountain Interstate Forum on Languages & Cultures and International Education Week.

The designation honors well-established and growing German programs with excellent instruction and strong support from administrators, colleagues, alumni and students.

The evaluation criteria include program vitality, faculty excellence, dynamic teaching, student engagement, and connections beyond the classroom. The application process included a comprehensive overview covering all areas of the program and letters of support. It was developed over the course of a year by the German Studies advisory board, a group of 16 faculty and staff members across four schools, 10academic departments, and three staff units. The application was also supported by administrators in �鶹��Ƶ College, the College of Arts and Sciences and the Department of World Languages and Cultures.

Founded in 1926, the AATG “champions the belief that bringing the diverse cultures of the German-speaking world to Americans is a vital humanistic endeavor that serves essential national and global interests.”

“The award is, first and foremost, a recognition of the achievements of our students and alumni who have used their German – alongside the other knowledge and abilities they gained at �鶹��Ƶ – to make a big impact on the world,” said Professor Scott Windham, co-coordinator of the German Studies program. “The designation also shows that �鶹��Ƶ’s investment in language study has paid off. Students know they’re in a dynamic, top-ranked program where high levels of achievement are the norm.”

The �鶹��Ƶ program’s vision and mission focus on community, supporting and challenging students, and integrating their career interests from day one.

“German at �鶹��Ƶ has bucked national trends and seen significant growth in recent years thanks to intentional community building, curricular flexibility, dedicated faculty, engaged students, a productive board and visible cross-disciplinary and administrative support,” said Associate Professor Elena Schoonmaker-Gates, chair of the Department of World Languages and Cultures and associate professor of Spanish. “This recognition is further evidence of the vitality and excellence of �鶹��Ƶ’s world-class German program.”

Colleagues on the German Studies advisory board and in the Department of World Languages and Cultures have helped develop the program through curriculum, teaching approaches and conversations about the role of German language and cultural study in the 21st century.

“Having our German Studies program be recognized as a Center of Excellence is a great achievement and one that is well deserved,” said Hilton Kelly, dean of �鶹��Ƶ College, the College of Arts and Sciences. “We are proud of the legacy of German language, literature, history and culture at �鶹��Ƶ.”

Beyond the curriculum, students in the program make lifelong connections and develop a strong sense of community.

“The students consistently praise the sense of community in the program,” said Associate Professor Kristin Lange, co-coordinator of German Studies and associate chair of the Department of World Languages and Cultures at �鶹��Ƶ. “The German Club is a huge part of our community by hosting weekly study sessions and social events. We are also proud of our study abroad programs, with four destinations in Germany. By the time students head for Germany, they are well prepared for their semester abroad.”

�鶹��Ƶ is the only university in North Carolina to receive the Center of Excellence designation.

“The Center of Excellence designation is a well-earned recognition of the faculty and staff members who have championed this program and built a space for our students to engage with German language, history, culture, art and more,” said Rebecca Kohn, provost and vice president of academic affairs and professor of biology. “It also sets a broader institutional commitment to modern language study that sets �鶹��Ƶ apart.

“I remember what it meant to me as an undergraduate student, studying a new language and immersing myself in an unfamiliar country. Those experiences changed how I understood my own place in the world. This same transformation is available to our students through the work of our faculty and staff members, and the recognition as a Center of Excellence is a direct reflection of their dedication.”

A virtual will be hosted by AATG on Nov. 8 from 12-1:30 p.m. The ceremony is open to faculty, staff, administration, students, alumni and families of the program. Roughly a month prior to the AATG ceremony, German Studies will celebrate another milestone: the 20th anniversary of the creation of the German Studies minor, representing the moment when interdisciplinary German Studies took shape at �鶹��Ƶ. That in-person ceremony will take place Monday, Oct. 5, at 3:30 p.m. at Scott Plaza (rain location Carlton Commons).

The first German course was offered at �鶹��Ƶ in 1890. The German Studies minor was founded in 2006, and the interdisciplinary German Studies advisory board was established in 2011. The first German Studies major graduated in 2019 after creating her own independent major.

“The AATG is the largest organization for German educators and German programs,” Lange said. “This makes the Center of Excellence especially significant, because it’s awarded by German educators to German educators.”

Six Rising Stars in German Studies were awarded this year. Rising Stars are new students in the German Program who have impressed the faculty with their progress, dedication and curiosity regarding German language and culture. This years awardees are:

• Katherine Ragan
• Hannah Reeves
• Sasha Ronsayro
• Marshall Sears
• Elizabeth Walters
• Madison West

Moving from newcomers to seniors in German Studies, we welcomed 13 new members to Delta Phi Alpha, the national German Honor Society. Delta Phi Alpha was founded in 1929, and �鶹��Ƶ’s chapter Upsilon Omikron was established in 2018. We welcome the following students to Delta Phi Alpha:

• Colin Blount
• Fiona Hodge
• Haley Johnson
• Elisabeth Holmes
• Tori Layton
• Brooke Allen Menzock
• Sarah T. Moore
• Patrick Tuohy
• Zoe Richardson
• Matthew Rostan
• Taylor Salmon
• Elina Shah
• Cayden Williamson

The German Studies faculty also awarded three students with achievement awards. The Marsilius von Inghen Award was awarded to Tori Layton and Haley Johnson. The award recognizes Tori and Haley’s excellence in German language proficiency, cultural competence, and undergraduate research. The award was named after Marsilius von Inghen, the first president of Heidelberg Universität, which both, Tori and Haley, attended during their semester abroad.

Sarah T. Moore was awarded the inaugural Moffitt-Newman Award. The Moffitt-Newman award recognizes academic achievement and sustained service to the German program. It is named for the earliest instructors of German at �鶹��Ƶ, Emmett Moffitt and the Reverend John Urquhart Newman, who taught German beginning in the 1890s. Moore started learning German at �鶹��Ƶ, and has taken it every year. She has also been an officer of the German Club and its president in 2025-26.

The festivities were accompanied by a delicious spread of German-inspired food put together by �鶹��Ƶ’s Harvest Table, including Spätzle and Schnitzel.

 (Brepols, 2026) is derived from the third and fourth installations of the  conference. The purpose of the conference was to examine how the bishop, one of the key characters in the administration of medieval Europe, shaped how medieval European history has been recorded and remembered. Bolstered by the sense that the bishop, as an organizing idea, matters, the inaugural conference, In the Hands of God’s Servants, sought to examine the construction, enhancement, and expression of episcopal power at a local level. Papers selected and adapted for publication appeared in , which offers microhistories of episcopal power and authority, fracturing what we know about the bishop into episodes that represent dioceses and dependents, and the individuals that ran them. The singularity of these stories inspired the subject of the second conference on Episcopal Personalities. Papers from this conference were published in , which explored the work and responsibilities of the bishop, how a bishop’s persona shaped his approach to the episcopal office, and how a bishop’s charisma affected the way in which he was received or remembered by the communities he served.

Analysis of the bishop’s personality encouraged the organizers to mine the slippery space between the office and the man, not only for the ways this space elides differences between the episcopal personae of priest, pastor, or prince, but also because the space sheds light on from where— or from whom — a bishop’s power derived. The third conference, The Bishop as Diplomat, took up this question as its focus, turning away from the bishop as an agent for and as himself, to the bishop’s role as a representative of the power and authority of others. The papers offered at this conference examined how bishops developed the skills and tactics needed for diplomacy, as well as how and when these skills were deployed, and in what circumstances. They also explored what it meant for a bishop, who was already representing an office beyond himself, to be a diplomat, which often required the bishop to re-present someone else.

Two years later, organizers turned to a theme that had been at the edge of each of the previous conferences: the Bishop as Patron. This conference focused on visual, material and social expressions of episcopal power as well as how those expressions were managed to ensure the legitimacy or the legacy of a bishop. Papers examined traditional examples of patronage, such as those demonstrated through the construction, expansion, and renovation of buildings and the production and reception of manuscripts. The papers asked how and with whom bishops built relationships, and how those relationships were maintained (or neglected).

The essays selected from these last two conferences were edited, expanded and combined into a single volume. Together, they offer a broad overview of how relational culture defines how, why, and for whom bishops work.

is divided into four parts. The introduction, authored by Gatti and Silvestri, explains how this book, the last in the “Power of the Bishop” series, responds to and expands on the usefulness of the “bishop” as a category of scholarly focus. Next, a prologue by Philippa Byrne asks, “What was Episcopal about Episcopal Patronage?” The remaining essays are divided into two sections. The first section, “Episcopal Patronage as Re/Presentation”, foregrounds the material aspects of episcopal patronage, such as churches, manuscripts, hagiographies, rites, rituals, frescoes, windows and tombs. This section includes a chapter by Gatti, “Diplomatic Gestures: Art and Ambivalence in Eleventh-Century Italy”, in which she compares visual images of the bishop to the embodied language of diplomatic gestures. The final section, “Patronizing Bishops: Clients, Diplomats, Allies, and Rivals”, examines episcopal patronage as an extension of episcopal relationships with families, kings, emperors, and clients, with predecessors and successors, as alliances and antagonisms, and between bishops and their congregations, as well as the monastic and secular clergy.

Creating a coherent collection in a field as broad and disparate as medieval studies can be challenging. In fact, the hardships experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic, prohibitions for travel, the closure of archives and libraries across the UK, Europe, and North America, as well as the crises in higher education and funding cuts for scholarly work, made completing this book particularly difficult. In fact, it was because of these challenges that a decision was made to publish papers from the 2017 and 2019 conferences together after plans for a separate volume fell through. This effort fulfilled a commitment made by the conveners to publish high-quality scholarly papers that had been selected and expanded for publication.

�鶹��Ƶ has been repeatedly recognized for the number of its alumni who participate in the Fulbright Program as teachers and researchers and has been named a top-producer of Fulbright students in six separate years. This year, 50% of �鶹��Ƶ’s 28 applicants were named semi-finalists in January.

The Fulbright Program has experienced unprecedented disruptions since January 2025. The review process, which is governed by extensive and detailed treaties between the US and host countries, requires an initial US review phase (during which semi-finalists are determined) followed by host-country review phase (during which the finalists are determined). This process ensured that host communities have the final say in which applicants are selected. This year, the host-country review phase was, according to multiple reports from host countries, followed by an additional round of scrutiny by the US State Department, and some host countries reported that upwards of 40% of their selected applicants were rejected. It is unclear if fewer grants were awarded overall as a result of this scrutiny.

A significant portion of the Fulbright U.S. Student Program staff were furloughed in March, which led to severe delays in fund dispersal and finalist announcements. This month, the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board, the presidentially-appointed board of directors that oversees the Fulbright Program, but is not responsible for its day-to-day operations, overwhelmingly voted to resign in response to the Trump Administration’s interference in the 2025 review process. The future of congressional funding for Fulbright remains in question.

Those who received awards this year are:

Margo Buchanan ‘25

A double major in theatrical design & technology and political science with a minor in German studies, Margo Buchanan has been selected for a Fulbright grant to teach English in Germany. She is from Raleigh, North Carolina.

A Phi Beta Kappa graduate, Buchanan took every opportunity she could while at �鶹��Ƶ to learn about Germany. She conducted two-years of independent research about opera scenic design in Germany as an �鶹��Ƶ College Fellow, served as president of the German Club, and spent a semester studying abroad in Heidelberg, Germany. It was her semester abroad that inspired her to return to the region after graduation.

In addition to the Fulbright US Student Program in Germany, Buchanan was selected for the Teaching Assistantship Program of the Austrian Federal Ministry of Education (BMB), administered by Fulbright Austria. She will spend this summer working as a stage crew lead for the Santa Fe Opera before heading to Austria to teach English, where she is eager to build on the teaching and mentoring experience she began in high school.

Buchanan’s �鶹��Ƶ mentors include her German professors, Kristin Lange and Scott Windham, and Luis Silva, technical director for the Department of Performing Arts.

Rachel Maccini ‘25

Rachel Maccini, a double major in special education and middle grades mathematics with minors in psychology and German studies, has been selected for a Fulbright grant to teach English in Germany. The Phi Beta Kappa and Omicron Delta Kappa graduate is from Westford, Massachusetts.

At �鶹��Ƶ, Maccini was a dedicated student educator who also served as the captain for the �鶹��Ƶ Cheer Team. She blended her interests in teaching with German studies, serving as a teaching and learning assistant for a German language course and earning entry into Delta Phi Alpha, the National German Honor Society. Maccini’s desire to live in Germany after graduation was solidified during her Winter Term course in Germany, and the Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship in Germany is what she describes as “the perfect fit.” After Fulbright, she plans to return to the US to work in education and hopes to utilize her experiences in German classrooms to support multilingual and neurodiverse students.

Maccini’s most influential �鶹��Ƶ mentor is Kristin Lange, who initially encouraged her to apply for Fulbright.

“Dr. Kristin Lange has made a huge impact on me,” said Maccini. “Her love for the German language and her passion for teaching are truly contagious. Anyone who takes a class with her can feel it.”

Cristy Mariné ‘25

A double major in cinema & television arts (BFA) and strategic communications, Cristy Mariné has been selected for a Fulbright grant to pursue a master’s degree in creative industries at the University of Exeter in the United Kingdom. She is from Caracas, Venezuela and Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Mariné was a highly engaged �鶹��Ƶ student who completed five internships—including one in Los Angeles with E! News, and another with a photography studio in Sorrento, Italy—and directed three short films. One in particular, “Corazones Dulces,” centered on a Latina who grieves the loss of her grandmother through baking, and was the only film in Spanish at 2024 Cinelon Film Festival. The master’s in creative industries at Exeter, which will allow her to blend creative and business courses while interning with a British creative agency, is the natural next step in Mariné’s goal of making short films that tell authentic stories about underrepresented groups.

Mariné’s constellation of mentors is wide, including Staci Saltz, Youseff Osman, Kai Swanson, Jessalyn Strauss, Sylvia Muñoz and MJ Larrazabal.

“All of my mentors at �鶹��Ƶ have challenged me in ways that have helped me grow into the person I am today, she said. “For that, I am forever grateful.”

Celia Roskin ’20

Celia Roskin, an elementary education major (policy studies minor) from the class of 2020, has been selected for a Fulbright grant to teach English in Taiwan. She is from Durham, North Carolina.

At �鶹��Ƶ, Roskin cultivated her passions for teaching, language learning and cross-cultural exchange. She spent a Winter Term in Malawi teaching English to primary school students and a summer in Cordoba, Argentina, taking Spanish language classes at the local university. She also completed the Peace Corps Prep Program and volunteered with the Village Project and the Boys and Girls Club. These experiences prepared her for her current role as an Educational Resources Specialist at the Library of Congress, where she creates, coordinates and facilitates professional development for educators by utilizing primary sources from the Library’s collections.

“I continue to feel a calling to classroom teaching,” she explained. “I’m ready to get out of my comfort zone and explore a new culture and different approaches to early education.”

A year as an English teaching assistant in Taiwan will allow Roskin to expand her teaching philosophy and pedagogy while exploring the Taiwanese approach to literacy education. She plans to return to the Library of Congress with new skills and resources to provide for US educators.

Roskin’s �鶹��Ƶ mentors include education professors Erin Hone and Marna Winter.

�鶹��Ƶ students and alumni interested in the Fulbright program or other nationally competitive fellowships are invited to contact the National and International Fellowships Office.

He was weak, coughing and short of breath but didn’t display outward signs of disease or illness. Otherwise healthy and lithe, he should have been on his feet. When Romano examined him, she couldn’t hear breathing in his right lung.

Perplexed, she filed through the medical training she received at Eberhard Karls Universität in Tübingen, Germany. Then she hit upon the relatively rare cause: a pneumothorax — when air trapped in the cavity outside a lung creates pressure that causes it to collapse. Romano and physicians repaired the lung, and a few days later he left the intensive care unit to return to an active life.

“It felt like all the study, training and work I’d done had come to fruition and prepared me to do my job well,” said Romano, a Lumen Scholar who graduated from �鶹��Ƶ in 2016 with a biochemistry degree and a minor in German studies before following those paths into a medical career overseas.

Medical school is already intense: arduous studies, research and long hours in post-doctoral residency. Romano — a native of Allentown, Pennsylvania, who learned English as a first language — did it all in German.

“I studied German seven days a week, as well as studying medicine,” Romano said. “It took a lot of discipline, but I knew what I wanted to do and that I was very blessed and lucky to be admitted to medical school.”

From a young age, she knew she wanted to work in medicine, following in her nurse practitioner mother’s footsteps.

“She always made a point that each day was a blessing. It didn’t feel like work to her,” Romano said. “There’s nothing more rewarding than helping people live and live in better ways.”

She graduated from medical school in 2023. Now one year into a five-year residency in pediatrics at the Klinikum Friedrichshafen GmbH, she reflected on the ways �鶹��Ƶ prepared her for the journey.

While at �鶹��Ƶ, Romano spent a semester abroad in Heidelberg, Germany, and realized quickly how much she appreciated German culture and that she wanted to pursue medical studies there. She attained what was at the time the highest score ever achieved by an �鶹��Ƶ student on the Deutsche Sprachprüfung für den Hochschulzugang, a language entrance exam required of foreigners studying at German universities.

Her Lumen Prize research under the mentorship of Professor of Chemistry Karl Sienerth examined synthesizing metal catalysts used in drug development. She also won a highly competitive summer research fellowship through the German Academic Exchange Service’s RISE program, allowing her to spend 11 weeks at the University of Heidelberg’s Organic Chemistry Institute. Connecting to her Lumen Prize research, she joined a team that worked on synthesizing new gold catalyst compounds and how they speed up chemical reactions.

Those experiences led her to efficiently complete her doctoral thesis exploring ultrasound diagnostics for musculoskeletal diseases.

She gets emotional when she discusses her �鶹��Ƶ professors who supported and encouraged her, especially Sienerth and Associate Professor of German Scott Windham.

“They really believed in me and that meant everything to me,” Romano said. “Dr. Windham gave me a German-to-English medical dictionary, and I kept it with me through my entire medical studies. I knew if these people believed in me, I could do it.”

When she isn’t practicing medicine, Romano coaches a youth swim team, hikes and climbs in the nearby mountains, and visits with friends.

“If I have a day off, I’m not typically sitting at home,” she said. “It’s a huge highlight to get to be social with friends, and that motivates me to get through difficult days.”

Associate Professor Scott Windham and Assistant Professor Kristin Lange presented in a panel on multi-level language courses. Inspired by a student’s idea, they have started teaching first and second semester German as one course, i.e. two-course levels in one room. Teaching �鶹��Ƶ’s beginning sequence as multi-level courses has boosted the German program’s retention and created a strong sense of community and belonging among our students. Windham and Lange shared details about the developmental process, curriculum, sample assignments and student feedback with a captive audience, as well as highlighted challenges and opportunities that they have experienced with multi-level courses at �鶹��Ƶ.

Lange also organized a panel on successful and sustainable outreach strategies at all levels. Lange collaborated with colleagues from Montclair State University, Franklin & Marshall College, and Mahopac High & Mahopac Middle Schools, were they shared outreach initiatives with the audience that successfully connected German learners at all levels, from K-12 to college. Lange’s presentation focused on North Carolina German Day, which �鶹��Ƶ hosted in March 2023 and which brought over 250 middle and high school students to �鶹��Ƶ’s campus.