Katrina Lampert
What do you do now?
I’m a graduate student at the Hertie School of Governance in Berlin, Germany, where I am completing my Master of Public Policy. In between the two years of my degree, I am (currently) undertaking a professional traineeship year in Rwanda.
How did your language major help you after UC?
Of my three majors, German has definitely been the most directly applicable skill I have been able to use since graduating. Although my current degree programme is in English, I use the German skills I honed at Ursinus in my day-to-day life in Berlin. Furthermore, as I now work for a German government agency I use my German skills in my office, where work is conducted in a myriad of languages.
What was your most rewarding experience in your language major?
It is difficult to choose just one experience, but two things come to mind. On a technical note, the small size of Ursinus (and especially of the major!) allowed me to shape my own studies and request certain classes be taught. This personal attention and self-specialization was invaluable. On a more personal note, it was very rewarding to work closely with my advisor Dr. Clouser on my German capstone thesis my Senior year. He (and nearly all of the professors at UC) take so much time to invest in their students and really go above and beyond.