When I was accepted to Georgetown, I remember visiting campus for the first time somewhat skeptically, unsure of whether I would want to attend a school so close to my home. As soon as I stepped through the front gates, my phone buzzed—it was an email from Prof. Eigler, hoping to personally welcome me to Georgetown and introduce me to the department. It was then that I knew I’d found a program where I’d be supported not just as a student, but as a person, too.
As the German department became my new home over the next four years, it exceeded these expectations in every possible way. During my freshman year, I worked on translation projects with Prof. Pfeiffer and even found an internship at the German Historical Institute nearby—and although Issues & Trends and Text in Context were certainly an intense rite of passage, I couldn’t have succeeded without those writing and speaking skills I learned from Prof. Banchoff and Prof. Cunningham. As a sophomore, Prof. Ryshina-Pankova introduced me to German literature. It was something I never expected to enjoy, but after reading Die Dreigroschenoper, I was hooked! During the year we spent online due to the pandemic, I deeply appreciated the chance to discuss the past and present effects of German colonialism with Prof. Kick. I loved how she challenged us to lead class discussions ourselves—this motivated me to consider teaching as a possible future career. It was also during this time that I took my favorite course at Georgetown: Austrian Lit with Prof. Pfeiffer. Reading Weltuntergang and Radetzkymarsch during such an uncertain, difficult time was cathartic, to say the least.
Returning to Georgetown for my final year has been bittersweet. When I returned to campus, I ran to the 4th floor of the ICC before I’d even finished unpacking—I was so happy to be back home, if only for a short time. I’m sad that my time here is ending, and I’m sad that we were apart for so long, but I am so grateful for how genuinely caring and supportive the German department has been throughout it all. Vielen Dank, und bis bald 🙂