Georgetown-in-Trier Summer 2025
From June 7 to July 12, 2025, 13 students from Georgetown University traveled to Trier, Germany, for the annual Georgetown-in-Trier summer study abroad program. Situated at the University of Trier, the five-week program combined academic rigor with cultural exploration to provide an unforgettable experience.
The Trier Program was led by Prof. Joe Cunningham, and doctoral students Kristina Schauhoff and Emilia Endler assisted with the program as instructors and cultural guides. Also returning to the program this year as instructor and guide was Harry AbdulSattar, former exchange student at Georgetown University from the University of Trier and dear friend of the German Department.
Isaac Hawkins, participant during the 2025 Georgetown-in-Trier program, was so kind as to share his summer experiences with us.
Isaac Hawkins (SFS, 2026)
Hallo Zusammen! My name is Isaac Hawkins, and I am a senior in the SFS majoring in International Politics, minoring in German, and pursuing a certificate in diplomatic studies. Over the summer, I had the absolute privilege to join 12 other Georgetown students as a member of the Georgetown-in-Trier summer study abroad program. For five weeks, we immersed ourselves in German culture, dined on local dishes, and spoke only in fluent(-ish) German.
Although we spent most of the trip exploring the beautiful city of Trier, many weekends were spent elsewhere in the region. One weekend was spent enjoying ice cream and hiking trails in the historic streets of Heidelberg. Another was spent touring Luxembourg City where local tour guides described the history of the city’s renaissance-era walls and taught us Luxembourgish. Even during the rare program-free weekends, me and my classmates participated in a variety of local traditions, including a 10k/half marathon that runs through the city’s numerous Roman ruins. These and other out-of-class experiences were some of my best memories from the program, the rest would be the many memories that I made during class excursions.
In Trier, I had the pleasure of taking a local history class on Trier, and the wider Mosel region, and a service-learning colloquium on the German social services system. These experiences allowed me to learn more about not only the history of Trier, but also its local legends, and people. Through these courses, I visited the Trier City Museum, where I discovered models of the town in the Middle Ages, and a small village outside of the city, where we met victims of a massive flood that occurred a couple years back. The Georgetown-in-Trier program is more than a study abroad opportunity, it is truly an immersive experience that offers a limitless view into the history, culture, and daily life of Western Germany.
Looking ahead, the next Georgetown-in-Trier summer program is set to take place from May 30-July 4, 2026. Applications can be found online with the Office of Global Education and are due by February 10, 2026.