I began learning German because of my heritage. My great-great-grandfather came to the United States from Germany when he was a little boy. My last name, Schoedel, has remained the same despite his journey. Many people anglicized their names (made them more American sounding) when they came to the United States, but some left their names intact. I signed up for German in high school as a way to reconnect with my cultural heritage.
Fast forward to my college years, and I continued taking German to better my language skills. I took part in an intensive language program in high school that really improved my German. I did not want to waste all of my hard work by not continuing to exercise my language skills in college. My original plan was to become a pharmacist, but I did not enjoy the courses and soon made my secondary major, which was German, my primary one. From there, I studied abroad at the University of Tübingen in Germany for two semesters. I met many wonderful people and learned a lot. I graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in German Language and Literature in May 2018 from Butler University in Indiana.
I am currently living in Germany as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant, which means I work in a German school to help teach English. I have been working for about two weeks already and love the school I am placed at.
