I never thought I would have ended up going to college in Ohio. I had always seen myself in a more cosmopolitan setting for university but that all changed when I visited Miami’s campus for a synchronized skating camp the summer going into my senior year in high school. After investigating the academic curriculum I became intrigued with the opportunities that Miami offered.

Starting my freshman year, I wasn’t exactly sure what I wanted to major in. My idea was that post graduation, I would do marketing for an international firm, possibly move abroad but wasn’t certain of what the future held.

My mom’s side of the family is from Germany so growing up she would speak to me in German but I never had any formal classes, leaving me less comfortable reading and writing when compared to speaking German. I knew I was interested in taking German classes, but wasn’t convinced that a German major was for me.

That quickly changed after my first class. I quickly realized that the professors in the GRAMELAC department cared deeply for their students' development and setting them up for success. The German department brought together students from all over and this really spoke to me. The thing that really stood out for me in comparison to the business classes I was in for my second major, was that the professors and my classmates all knew who I was. The intimate setting allowed for unique conversations and a tailored approach to the students in each class.

I was a competitive synchronized figure skater, competing for Team USA from 2009-2012. In 2011, I joined Miami’s D1 synchronized skating team. We had the opportunity to skate representing Team USA in Salzburg, Austria. It was here that things really came together for me. We were doing an interview and the translation from English to German wasn’t exactly right so I offered to do it in German. Through this I was able to not only connect with the reporter and give a proper interview but also lead me to connect with Team Germany. I kept in contact with Team Germany and received an offer to become a German National Team member in 2013.

I took a leave of absence from Miami University my Junior year, when I moved to Berlin to skate for Team Germany. The moment I landed in Berlin, I felt so comfortable. The fact that I had spoken German everyday prior to my move, in my German classes, kept everything top of mind for me. I am very thankful that I did decide to enroll in a German major to fully submerge myself in learning German. Miami’s classes made me confident in my German writing and reading which prior to the classes I lacked. While living in Berlin and skating for Team Germany, I was able to fully immerse myself into the culture. I even had the opportunity to work for German start-up as well as take classes at The Berlin School of Economics and Law all in German.

Since graduating I have been focusing on my career in marketing in the financial services industry. Although I am not currently using German in a professional setting, I am still in contact with many of my teammates for Team Germany and friends that I met in Berlin. I am grateful for these opportunities and the confidence that the GRAMELAC department instilled in me.