German

I have a love of the German language that blossomed in middle school! My passion for German came purely from the joy I experienced while learning. I picked it up very quickly, moving ahead of my peers. I engaged in German activities and enrichment whenever I could! Languages are a hobby of mine as I often spend time on Duolingo picking up simple speaking and writing for other languages (including Japanese, Irish, and French). I would love to dive deep into another language!

My parents are a bit of Francophiles... so you can imagine their initial reaction when I chose German and then became so passionate about it! Imagine their shock years later when I accepted the Paris Scholars program invitation with George Washington University!

After completing my German II class freshman year, my high school canceled its German program to dedicate more resources to Spanish. I took German III Honors online since it was no longer offered at the school, but the quality of the online program for conversational German could have been better. I found a program to supplement this gap, CarolinaKinder, that offered a weekly opportunity to meet with young people learning German (usually from native-speaker families). I also created a school club called the German Tutoring Club to bring together several online German II students and offer to tutor them.

I have found many online tools to continue learning the language. While the pandemic set me back, I have resumed personal efforts to continue growth in the language by subscribing to German magazines and establishing a German "pen pal". Independently, I studied and prepared for the German AP Exam in my senior year.

Despite the setback with the German program at my school, both Frau Garrison (my middle school teacher) and Frau Overlock (my high school teacher) were fantastic educators that motivated and prepared me in so many ways! Their inspiration helped fuel my motivation to persevere and continue my German education.

I have received several awards for the National German Exam (levels 2 and 3) and several events at German Day competitions. German Day is an annual activity that German middle and high school students participate in throughout North Carolina.

Frau Garrison presented me with a Certificate of Scholarship for Project C.A.F.E., which recognizes potential foreign language teachers.

While I studied French at The American University of Paris, I intend to resume my German studies at George Washington University in the Fall of 2023. My intentions are to major or minor in German along with my Biological Anthropology/Biology majors.