Congratulations to our 2026 Graduates!

We asked several of our graduating students for their reflections on their time in the German Department, and we wish them the best in everything to come!

Maria Speggiorin (PhD, 2026)
My time in the German Department at Georgetown has been an inspiring professional and personal journey that I am both grateful and sad to conclude. Coming here in the middle of a pandemic, and going through some challenges that life presents us, I have always found a supportive environment and community that helped me thrive in my career. I especially value the academic rigor and the high standards that are maintained in this department, as well as the care that is shown for students, instructors, professors and staff that all together give life to it.

Some of the highlights of my time here have been collaborating with faculty and colleagues on offering our students excellent quality language instruction, exchanging with students our different perspectives and life experiences, both here and in the Trier summer program, as well as rigorously researching and discussing together best pedagogical practices that honor learners’ intellectual skills and their persona.

Now that my immediate future moves to Europe, I am sure that the professional and personal bonds created here will accompany me and build a strong base for development and future steps.

Madeleine Ott (COL ’26)
Like most high school graduates, I came into my first year at Georgetown undecided—except in my case, I really had no idea what I wanted to study. I spent my first three semesters taking what some might describe as an eclectic variety of courses, from statistics to sociology to linguistics to biology, praying that one of them would stick.

During the spring semester of my freshman year, I decided on a whim to take a German course, a language I had grown up learning to speak at home with my mom and grandparents. What I thought would be a fun, but one-off elective to tick off my unofficial college bucket list ended up being my favorite class of the semester. It prompted a solo month-long visit to Germany that summer, reconnecting with various family and friends in different parts of the country. Despite crossing an ocean, the trip felt so much like a homecoming, the reigniting of a dormant ember that had always been glowing faintly. Following my return, the idea of majoring in German felt like something I could actually picture for myself and something I would truly enjoy, one of the most important factors in my decision. Three years later, I couldn’t be happier or more proud of that decision.

Majoring in German has been a truly rewarding experience, not because it has landed me some sort of lucrative corporate job post-graduation, but because of how I’ve been able to grow as a writer, reader, and person and how I’ve learned to resist simplistic, prescriptive understandings of the world around me. It has reaffirmed my identity as a lifelong learner, something I will carry forward with me when I leave the Hilltop in all facets of my life, both personal and professional. I am grateful for all the experiences it has provided me and the lifetime connections I have made here. Hoya Saxa.

Micaela Wells (COL ’26)
My very first class on my very first day at Georgetown was Text in Context with Professor Ryshina-Pankova. I remember walking out feeling so daunted by the prospect of a language class focused on content, not just language mechanics, not to mention overwhelmed by the homework for the next period: reading the first few chapters of a book! I had no idea how much my competence and confidence would increase throughout my four years here, nor any idea how much my love for German language and culture would grow.

My classes in the German department have been some of the most challenging and rewarding courses of my college career. I’ve loved getting to develop my language skills by exploring literature, history, culture, and current events, and my German courses have consistently pushed me to think more deeply and creatively about the language, the ways it is used, and the effects of particular uses in literature and discourse. As well as learning how to speak, read, and write, I’ve come to deeply appreciate the beauty of the language.

My experience in the department at Georgetown led me to spend my junior spring studying abroad at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität in Munich, where I got to experience a whole other kind of learning. Immersing myself for five months entirely in German was perhaps both the scariest and the best choice I’ve ever made, and I’m so grateful for all of the support I received from the department to make it possible.

Since coming back, I’ve felt closer to the German department than ever. From class to Kaffeestunde, I’ve looked forward to getting to practice, laugh, joke, and connect with fellow undergrads, grad students, exchange students, and professors. I’m proud to count myself a part of this amazing department and thankful for everything I’ve been able to learn.

Olivia Booth (COL ’26)
Being a major in the Department of German has been one of the most unexpectedly rewarding experiences at Georgetown. From Kaffeestunde and holiday parties to group excursions to concerts in the city and one-on-one conversations with professors, the sense of community extends far beyond the classroom. I have consistently been met with curiosity, warmth, and encouragement at all stages of the language-learning process by both students and instructors, and I’m especially grateful to my faculty advisor, Prof. Verena Kick, for her guidance and support throughout my time here.

One of the most impactful experiences I had through the department was the opportunity to participate in the Georgetown-in-Trier program over two summers. There, I grew so much in confidence and independence, not only linguistically, but personally too. Conducting a self-directed research project the second year allowed me to develop my interest in cultural heritage and memory politics and think about how to incorporate my German studies into my broader academic and career goals.

When I arrived at Georgetown, having never taken a proper foreign language course, I didn’t plan to major or even minor in German. I simply knew I wanted to take a language course each semester for myself and to better connect with my family. From there, a minor felt like a natural step. And after the Trier program satisfied the study abroad requirement… pursuing the double major only made sense. In this way, something I didn’t plan ended up becoming a defining part of my college journey.

Tyler Van Andel (SFS ’26)

Passion for the Job
There once was a student named Tyler
The German Department did hire
They asked him books to scan
He was the perfect man
Someday the printer will catch fire

Day to Day
Download videos
Zeit for George and Scans for Profs
German Department

Departmentsick
Sat in the Fishbowl every morn’
Watching, waiting, patient for the work to appear
Some mail from the box there, a Lau run here
Oft the mood is joyful, in finals it’s forlorn
Time Passes, people and seasons change as snowflakes adorn,
the ceiling like melting droplets of the memories dear
Oh what love and grief to no longer be near
Times of Change, transition, to be reborn

I’ll miss the small moments most
Conversations long and smiles quick
Whispers of Mousie Poppins and the Calculator Ghost
Bonding over memories from Trier and stress on assignments thick
Stories to share, falafel and pretzel events to host
So grateful for the pain of becoming homesick