Meet the CENES student recipients of the MacInnes-Hallamore Scholarship, PAD (Pädagogischer Austauschdienst), the Fred A. Krugel Memorial Prize & Macinnes-Hallamore Scholarship, and the Alice H. Shelton Prize.
CENES got to interview our 2023 student award recipients about what this award means to them and what they appreciate about their CENES degree.
Claire Hein-Salvi → PAD (Pädagogischer Austauschdienst)
My name is Claire Hein-Salvi, I graduated from UBC this past spring with a BA in Psychology and Spanish. I started my BA in the United States at Lindenwood University, and I also did a study abroad for a school year in Granada, Spain. While completing my undergrad, I was on Lindenwood’s and UBC’s Artistic Swimming team. However, my journey at UBC is not over yet as after working as an English assistant in Germany, I will come back to UBC in order to complete an MA in Educational and Counselling Psychology.
How did you first come to learn about this opportunity?:
My mother teaches German at SFU and told me about the program. After having a wonderful year abroad in Spain, I have always wanted to take a gap year and go back to Europe. This program was the perfect opportunity for me to complete a lifelong goal of mine, namely working in Germany, while also furthering myself professionally.
Can you tell us a little bit about the Pädagogischer Austauschdienst (PAD)?:
The PAD program allows you to work in Germany as an English Assistant in a school. I got placed in the city centre of Berlin, working at a Hotel Management school. I will be working at the school for 12 hours a week, and flights to Germany will be covered by the program as well. It is a wonderful opportunity to get paid to live in a different country while being able to make a difference in people’s lives by helping them to learn English.
What aspect of the Pädagogischer Austauschdienst (PAD) are you looking forward to the most?:
As my professional goal is to become a professor, I am looking forward to teaching university-aged students English. This will be the perfect opportunity to gain experience working in this field and will allow me to gain the skills necessary for teaching at the university level in the future.
What advice would you give others looking to expand their studies with professional experience?:
My advice would be to try and combine your passions when looking for professional experience. A goal of mine was to work in Europe and teach at the university level. Combining these two goals will allow me to fulfill a dream of mine while also furthering my career at the same time.
Where do you see your journey taking you next? Anything else you would like to add?:
After completing my year in Berlin and finishing my MA at UBC, I see myself continuing on to complete a Ph.D. and teaching at a university. I am extremely grateful for this opportunity and would encourage anyone who is thinking about doing the PAD program to apply next spring!
Nathaniel Andre-Peirano (Nat) → Macinnes-Hallamore Scholarship
I recently graduated with Distinction at UBC. I completed a BA comprised of Honours in History and a Minor in German. Within my undergrad, I wrote a thesis on the history of heroin addiction treatment in British Columbia from roughly 1950-1980. Specifically, I analyzed the Narcotic Addiction Foundation of British Columbia, an organization created by the Christian Conservative Social Credit Party of British Columbia in 1955 which later established a healthcare infrastructure for illicit drug use across the province. Before my undergrad, I went to high-school at Vancouver Technical Secondary and graduated as the school’s Valedictorian in June 2017. Currently, I am spending my summer with my loved ones, enjoying my hobbies, and preparing for my Juris Doctor education at the Peter A. Allard School of Law.
What/Who inspired you to pursue studies in German?:
I had been doing German on Duolingo before my undergrad began and I needed a language requirement for my BA. So, I chose to do German classes to fulfill this requirement and just kept taking more German classes since I thoroughly enjoyed what UBC’s German department offered me. I also must say Professor Florian Gassner was instrumental in my German education at UBC. He helped me along my journey to the CSSG Program which I did in the summer of 2019 and he has been a steadfast mentor inside and outside the classroom. His consistent mentorship continues to inspire me and it also fostered a desire to pursue a Minor in German at UBC.
Why do you think it is important to learn about a culture/language like German?:
Quite frankly, I believe it is extremely valuable to learn any language or study any culture. With regard to the German language and culture specifically, I believe it is primarily important because “German-ness” or perhaps “Deutsch zu sein” is at the heart of what it means to be “European”, especially since Germany is a fundamental part of the European Union. Some have even argued that Germany is essentially the European Union, especially after Brexit. Regardless of whether that is true or not, Germany, as a nation state, is extremely important in European relations and by understanding the German culture, history, and language, one can gain a strong foundation for understanding the contemporary European identity and relationships within the European context.
What does winning this award(s) mean to you?:
It means a lot. I have been recognized by UBC’s Department of Germanic Studies as someone who is not only a high scholastic achiever but also genuinely involved in the pursuit of higher knowledge regarding the study of Germany’s language, culture, and history. This is a considerable honour and one that I am very grateful for.
Alexander Ardi Suyanto → Fred A. Krugel Memorial Prize & Macinnes-Hallamore Scholarship
I am a fourth-year Geographical Sciences and German Studies student originally from Jakarta, Indonesia. Having been raised in a bilingual Indonesian-English household as well as having multilingual parents and relatives, I have always had an interest in learning languages. Since the age of eleven, I have been learning French, Spanish, and German, mostly on my own through Duolingo and other self-study methods, which has led me to a greater understanding and appreciation of diverse cultural perspectives and of my own native language.
What/Who inspired you to pursue studies in German?:
What got me into learning German in the first place was the time when I correctly answered a trivia question in grade six on how to count from one to five in German, information that I had retained from my mom’s basic German knowledge. Later on, I explored the German language mostly on my own using Duolingo and through other self-study resources. When it came time to choose some electives for my major, I had initially planned on taking several language courses, either French, Spanish, or German, and for that, I needed to write a placement test. As luck would have it, only the CENES department got back to me, and along with some wonderful advice from Dr. Angelika Struch, my journey with learning German in CENES took off. I had such a terrific time with the various German courses this department had to offer and the program itself, that I decided on majoring in German Studies as well.
Why do you think it is important to learn about a culture/language like German?:
I think learning a language like German allows us to understand different perspectives, some that we might never have considered, better connect with others who speak that language, instead of defaulting to English, as well as gaining a greater understanding of our own language(s). Being able to read and enjoy German literature and perhaps a newfound interest in German Translation Studies, as was my case, are some of the things one can benefit from learning about a culture or language like German. Personally, the multilingual experience of the world is just more interesting, exciting, and wonderful than that of seeing the world through a monolingual lens.
What does winning this award(s) mean to you?:
I am incredibly honoured to be a recipient of these awards. Not only does the generous support of the department acknowledge my efforts and studies in the German Program, they also encourage and push me all the more to further develop my interests in German Studies. On a personal level, it is also a comforting sign that I have made the right decision in adding another major to the one I already have, and thereby extending my studies by another year.
Ashleigh Christiane Kruschel → Macinnes-Hallamore Scholarship
Hello, fellow CENES students! My name is Ashleigh Kruschel, and I’m a student entering my third year at UBC. I’m really excited about this upcoming year because I just declared a major in Modern European Studies and a minor in International Relations. Additionally, this year I am starting as the VP Community Coordinator with the Scandinavian and Nordic Student Association and two other executive positions in two other clubs. I’m also a returning member of the CENES Undergrad Advisory Council, which I am really looking forward to so that I can continue to improve the CENES student experience and increase our awareness among all UBC students. In my free time, I like to read, go to the gym, and spend time with my friends. My favourite courses in the CENES department so far have been GERM 304, CENS 202, RUSS 306, and SWED 210.
What/Who inspired you to pursue studies in German?:
My initial interest in German studies comes from my German-Polish heritage and wanting to know more about the lives of my great-grandparents and their parents in this region during the early 20th Century. I also have an interest in learning about World War history, so learning about Germany during that period was important to me. However, it increased significantly when I took CENS 202 with Dr. Lieblang and learned a significant amount about Modernist German art, literature, culture, and social life of that period. I am particularly fascinated by the interwar period and the Weimar Republic, and the culture and life of the German people during that time.
Why do you think it is important to learn about a culture/language like German?:
The most profound reason for learning about German culture to me is because of its rich, complex and diverse history. Relative to many other significant powers in the 20th Century, Germany was fairly new and still is, which makes its influence that much more intriguing. Its history, however, is extremely rich and complex. It has been influenced by other cultures and itself has influenced other cultures. Germany’s vital role in culture and history is important to study and understand if one wants to be able to understand other cultures and history around the world. Secondly, I firmly believe that studying any culture and history is important to challenge your own biases your preconceived notions about the world and the way it works, and it makes you a profoundly more rounded person and helps you grow as an individual. German culture and history is a rich mosaic that is important to study if one wants to understand modern Germany and its influence on other cultures and countries around the world.
What does winning this award mean to you?:
This award is quite important to me because it helps reinforce that what I’m studying and what I hope to achieve in this world with my studies is worth it and supported by others. Sometimes a degree, especially such a niche one like Modern European Studies, can seem impractical. But receiving this award reminds me that, first, as long as I am passionate about what I study, I can do great things with it; and two, what I’m studying is really important, so I have a lot of people supporting my academic journey, and there are other people who are depending on my learning and future work.
Rajneet Kaur Sandhu → Alice H. Shelton Prize
My name is Rajneet Kaur Sandhu and I am a second year international student from Germany. For the most part of my life I grew up in Germany and essentially a part of my Dad’s side is German as well. I want to minor in German and continue taking courses in that field. That way I will be able to stay in touch with my family’s roots and culture. Because I am an international student, my parents have spent thousands of dollars on work permits to stay here, just so I could study at my high school. I know they can’t support me financially in my post-secondary education. I have witnessed my parents struggle and work hard for everything I have today. Their dedication and diligence have paved a way for me to pursue becoming a first-generation university student. Despite my circumstances, I am determined to work hard and make my parents proud. I work two jobs while attending UBC as a full-time student to help my parents. Winning this award could help me reduce my workload and focus more on my education.
