2023-2024 is coming to a close and there are so many people to thank for an amazing year, especially our Student Program Assistants!

The Department of Central, Eastern and Northern European Studies (CENES) had an amazing year filled with excitement, fun events and a yearbook’s worth of memories. Many of CENES’ accomplishments are thanks to our student Work Learns and Program Assistants! Over the past year, these students have worked closely with the department leadership team on enhancing undergraduate programming and intellectual life across our German Studies, Nordic Studies, Modern European Studies and Slavic Studies programs, as well as the Centre for European Studies.

If you have seen the hilarious Instagram reel created by our CENES Work Learns, you will know these students are a major part of the CENES team spirit! Read on to learn more about who they are and what they’ve been up to this year.

CENES Work Learn Program Assistants

Lina Pederson

What inspired you to join the CENES Department as a program assistant for German Studies?

My name is Lina and I am the German Studies program assistant here at CENES! I’m currently in my third year of post-secondary, and am doing a double major in Modern European Studies and Human Geography. What initially drew me to CENES was the community. UBC’s sheer size can make it challenging to connect with others, especially as a transfer student living off-campus. Consequently, CENES quickly became a home base for me. The faculty and staff genuinely care about their students and want to see them succeed, which is something that has also extended into my role as a work-learn student. The department’s enthusiastic and welcoming atmosphere attracts similarly enthusiastic and talented people, many of whom I now have the privilege of calling friends. Given my background being half German and half Canadian, in addition to growing up bilingual, joining the department as the German Studies program assistant felt like a natural choice.

What did you look forward to during your time as the German Studies Work Learn? 

Leading our weekly German language circle. Helping others on their language learning journeys has already proven to be a beyond rewarding experience. Furthermore, building relationships between our program and community groups both inside and outside of UBC.

What excited you most about German Studies?

Being of German background, the German Studies program excites me as it gives me the opportunity to share my language and culture with others. The enthusiasm and eagerness to learn of the students in the program is always present, making student and community outreach a joy. Furthermore, I was excited about the program’s efforts to diversify and make space for people from other German-speaking regions including Austria and Switzerland.

Ann-Cathrin (AC) Muller

What inspired you to join the CENES Department as a program assistant for Modern European Studies (MEST)?

My name is Ann-Cathrin (AC), the Program Assistant for Modern European Studies. I am a first-year student aiming for a major in International Relations or Political Science. Being a German who was born and raised in England, Brexit heightened my interest in European relations, particularly concerning the European Union (EU). Choosing to leave Europe to study in Canada was a challenging decision, partly due to my strong interest in Europe. Discovering the CENES department, and especially the MEST program, was incredibly exciting for me. This position offers me the opportunity to gain practical work experience while delving into how Europe’s rich historical and contemporary diversity is taught in North America. I knew I would be learning something new every day, but in a much more hands-on and engaging manner compared to traditional classroom settings. Transitioning from a very small school to UBC, I anticipated struggling with the sheer size of the university. Thus, the chance to become a part of a close-knit community like CENES was irresistible.

What did you look forward to during your time as the Modern European Studies Work Learn? 

I was most enthusiastic about promoting MEST and witnessing the program’s growth. I anticipated organizing educational events and, hopefully, collaborating with other programs and various student associations. After meeting some of the current and prospective majors at MESTs inaugural event in Term 1, getting to know everyone better over the year has been wonderful, and I enjoyed fostering a sense of community within MEST.

What excited you most about Modern European Studies?

What excites me most about MEST is the breadth of courses available. The opportunity to blend languages with literature, history, and culture from a diverse range of regions or focus on a specific one offers a level of flexibility that most other majors at UBC do not provide. Allowing students to tailor their course of study to their individual interests is a unique opportunity, enabling them to choose only the courses that truly inspire them and will benefit their future endeavours. MEST offers a distinctive approach to exploring Europe, and I am deeply grateful to be a part of it.

Ikra Aziz

What inspired you to join the CENES Department as a program assistant for Nordic Studies?

Hej! I’m Ikra. I am in 3rd year, majoring in History, and minoring in Nordic studies. I was inspired to join the department as the Nordic Studies program assistant because I wanted to help out with the program I became so heavily involved with over the last year, and hopefully inspire others to major in Nordic Studies!

What did you look forward to during your time as the Nordic Studies Work Learn? 

Understanding the behind-the-scenes work that goes into running the program, as well as getting to know more of the community I am apart of and working with.

What excited you most about Nordic Studies?

What excited me the most about the Nordic Studies program is that it is so unique and always changing! We have different types of classes that range from cultural to literature to language, and the content learned in these classes is reflective of the changing Nordic region today.

Tara Ubovic

What inspired you to join the CENES Department as a program assistant for Slavic Studies?

I’m Tara Ubovic, a third-year international student from Belgrade, Serbia. I’m pursuing a Combined Major in Computer Science and Statistics within the Faculty of Science. Additionally, I’m involved in various student-led initiatives on campus, including UBC Women in Computer Science and Women in Data Science at UBC. As a fellow European, I was very excited about the prospect of joining the CENES Department at UBC. Not only would it allow me to connect with more European students, but it also presented an opportunity to immerse myself in a department that doesn’t typically align with my degree requirements. Being the Slavic Studies Program Assistant was particularly appealing to me because it enabled me to share my culture, learn about the diverse cultures of other Slavic countries, and find creative ways to pique the interest of like-minded individuals from various departments in engaging with CENES department events.

What did you look forward to during your time as the Slavic Studies Work Learn? 

As the Slavic Studies Program Assistant, I was excited to introduce many new students to the CENES Department and its vibrant array of events. I was eager to contribute by creating fresh marketing materials that will boost our social media presence and, in turn, increase students’ curiosity and involvement in the Slavic Studies Program as well.

What excited you most about Slavic Studies?

What excited me the most about Slavic Studies is the opportunity to introduce people to the rich history, culture, and traditions of Slavic countries. Bridging cultures, fostering curiosity, and nurturing a profound appreciation for Slavic heritage was an amazing opportunity to showcase the evolving dynamics of the heart of Europe.

Alexander Suyanto

What inspired you to join the CENES Department as the Head’s Project Assistant?

Hey everyone! My name is Alexander Suyanto. I am a fourth-year student majoring in Geographical Sciences and in German Studies. Prior to this position, I had the opportunity to work as a Project Assistant under the supervision of the Department Head over the summer of 2023. This allowed me to work on various projects such as the CENES Course Options Website that lists our department’s course offerings with their syllabi, which Dr. Gramling and I believed would be beneficial for the German Studies Program. I learned much under his mentorship and also had such a wonderful time as a Work Learn student over the course of Summer 2023 that I decided to apply for my current position as the Head’s Project Assistant. This role allowed me to work on a variety of projects that we believe would be a benefit for all of the undergraduate programs as well as for everyone involved in the CENES community.

What did you looking forward to during your time in this position? 

I looked forward to all the different projects I got to work on, however challenging they were. I helped develop promotional material for our upcoming Yiddish language course posters, helped create our department’s alumni newsletter, and created the handbooks for our undergraduate programs, among many other things.

What excited you most about German Studies?

I was most excited by the wide range of German courses that I took this year, some of which dealt with cultural, migration, and literary studies in the German-speaking world, which are all taught by wonderful, kind, and super knowledgeable faculty members. I was equally excited about attending student-led events such as Plauder-Treff (formerly known as Stammtisch) and Kaffeestunde, which were great ways to get to know other students in the program.

UBC Centre for European Studies Work Learn Project Assistants

Charli Brown (Term 1)

What inspired you to join the Centre of European Studies as the CES Work Learn Project Assistant?

I’m Charli (she/her), a first-year graduate student pursuing my M.A. in Children’s Literature here at UBC. I completed my B.A. in English last spring, graduating magna cum laude and with Honors from Washington & Lee University. There, I studied how literary works (especially canonical European fairy tales) construct gender and sexuality for young-adult readers. I have always been fascinated by the way European canonical folklore and fairy tales have embodied belief systems and sociocultural history. Finding the CES work-learn opportunity, I knew it was the perfect opportunity to combine my academic interests with her professional development.

What did you look forward to during your time in this position?

During my time as the CES Work-Learn Project Assistant, I was constantly meeting scholars who are doing fascinating work, and I enjoyed being a part of the network that supports them. Because the Centre is fairly new, I was able t played an important part in its development, and was thrilled to see how it flourished. As it continues to grow, she hopes to help build an accessible and welcoming learning community for all.

Braden Russell (Term 2)

What inspired you to join the Centre of European Studies as the CES Work Learn Project Assistant?

As a PhD candidate in Germanic Studies at UBC, Braden wanted to gain more administrative skills while also helping support programming and research on broad topics related to European Cultural Studies. The multidisciplinary work that affiliates showcase and undertake in the Centre is fascinating and inspired me to get involved!

What did you look forward to during your time in this position?

As a PhD candidate in German Studies, I figured this opportunity would be a perfect fit. I looked forward to gaining more administrative skills and understanding the operations of a research centre. It was also exciting to match my academic interests and skills with professional development. I was excited to connect and meet with affiliates not housed in CENES and work on programming events such as Dr. Mimi Khúc’s mini-residency and the CES Spring Speaker Series.

Arts Languages Max Working Group Student Assistants

Olivia Crozier

What inspired you to join the the Arts Languages Max Working Group as the Student Assistant?

My name is Olivia Crozier, and I am a 3rd-year International Relations Major. As such, my interdisciplinary studies focus on political science, economics, and history, but my true academic passion lies in language, specifically, acquisition, tutoring, and grammatical analysis. My role as an assistant for the Arts Languages Max Working Group is housed under the CENES Department, so I had the unique opportunity to provide direct and indirect support to all language programs at UBC, with a recent focus on German Studies. Although my motivations have since multiplied, my initial inspiration to join the CENES Department was dual. Specifically, I was drawn to the prospect of growing under the supervision of a previous professor, Dr. Biz Nijdam, and promoting the welcoming community of language instructors and learners in German Studies to incoming students.

What excited you the most about your position and the program you were supporting? 

For many reasons, I was and remain enthusiastic about supporting the CENES Department. On a personal note, I am grateful for the opportunity to learn from administrators and educators with language-related career aspirations. Throughout their mentorship, I was excited to develop the creativity needed to work within existing resources to accomplish progressive goals, with the ultimate aim of increasing student engagement with language programs at CENES. In particular, I was eager to help plan gatherings that promote multilingualism at UBC. For example, assisting with unique events, such as the CENES Festival of Frights, which strengthen the intradepartmental community of current and prospective students. Finally, I was also excited to support initiatives that encourage us all to develop intercultural awareness and reflect on the multiculturalism that CENES epitomizes.

Bella Penninger

What inspired you to join the the Arts Languages Max Working Group as the Student Assistant?

Hi everyone! My name is Bella and I’m currently a fourth-year student at UBC. I’m studying Psychology and Education but also love taking language classes on the side. I grew up in Vienna, Austria, and have a big passion for everything food and fashion related! I was super excited to be a program assistant for the Languages Max Working Group this past year as I have always loved learning different languages and encouraging others to do the same. As a European myself, it’s wonderful to be surrounded by so many people in the CENES department who share and understand my love for Europe.

What excited you the most about your position and the program you were supporting? 

As a program assistant, I was excited to explore the different language and culture events on campus and help develop new strategies to further promote them on campus. Furthermore, I looked forward to planning and hosting fun events at which students can learn and explore more of the world of CENES and meet other enthusiastic and eager people. Working alongside the rest of the Languages Max Working team to organize the Arts Multilingual Week and advocate for multilingualism across UBC was a great expereince!