Life After the MAS

When my American friends and family first learned that I was planning to get a Master’s degree from a German university – especially a university as prestigious as Ruprecht-Karls-Universität – they were universally impressed. My husband and I were already planning a move to Heidelberg in conjunction with his work in the U.S. military, and the opportunity for me to further my education while we were there was serendipitous to say the least. However, when those same friends and family learned of my degree program – American Studies – their supportive smiles turned a bit quizzical. I even got some chuckles. After all, what’s the point of an American, born and raised in the United States, moving to Europe to study…America?

For me, a degree in American Studies made perfect sense, no matter the location. While finishing my bachelor’s degree in English literature, I had become interested in a more multidisciplinary approach to the study of modern American fiction. The program in American Studies gave me the opportunity to view such literature through the lens of politics and history, or in conjunction with the other cultural product of the time.

But the MAS offers something so much more important than a multidisciplinary approach to American culture; it offers a multidisciplinary approach with an outside perspective, and it is in that perspective that the true value of a degree from the HCA lies. Living in Germany, working with students from a variety of cultural and linguistic backgrounds, with an ocean and several thousand miles between you and the United States, you are taught a valuable lesson – to view yourself and your country as others view it. To see your experience – to see the American experience, if there is such a thing – through the eyes of your German or Iranian or Chinese peers. Whether or not you agree on what you see, it’s the seeing itself that makes all the difference; the true benefit is in realizing the cultural product that America is exporting and understanding how that product is perceived.

So chuckle all you want – it’s true that I am an American who moved from America to Europe to study America. And as confusing as that seems, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Amanda came to Heidelberg to endulge in American Studies, “because it is a comprehensive program with many interesting fields, so it can satisfy my greed to learn everything. I chose to come to Heidelberg because it is a historical place with famous people and a town of cute buildings!” Now, two years after graduation she is back in Hong Kong working for the Hong Kong Tourist Office.

Florian looks back on the MAS: ” Yes, there is life after the MAS, believe it or not. After graduating, I finally entered the real world (if working in academia can be described as “the real world”). I am currently as an instructor at Ovidius University, teaching composition seminars to American Studies and Journalism students. However, I will be going back to school in August. I was lucky enough to be awarded a Presidential Fellowship by the University of Iowa to pursue a Ph.D. in American Studies and I’m very much looking forward to an exciting and challenging experience. And I would also to visit Heidelberg again and meet up with the other alumni, with the staff and with the current students. I haven’t practiced my German lately, but I can still order a Döner mit scharfe Sosse, ohne Pepperoni. As for the MAS, it has been successful in attracting students from all over the world, and, from my experience, the international nature of the program is helpful both academically (since it encourages a plurality of perspectives) and socially. The MAS was intellectually stimulating, but I also enjoyed the relaxed and friendly atmosphere at the HCA.”

After finishing the MAS in Heidelberg, I was offered a Marie Curie Fellowship from the European Commission to attend a Master Program in European Studies at University College London. This was a public policy-oriented master and I got to learn a lot about the practical functioning of the EU and its institutions and about EU policy making. London, as a town, was a completely different experience from Heidelberg, yet I enjoyed its amazing cultural and social life and the feeling of being in the middle of things…

I finished the M.A. in September 2006 and then I returned to Romania and I obtained a job with Procter & Gamble where I am currently employed. What I appreciate about this job is that it places me in direct contact with P&G employees from all over the world and it also allowed me to develop my German language skills. I am now proud to say I can speak German as well :)). Nevertheless I still have not given up on my dream of getting a job with an EU institution or another international organization in the public affairs/public policy sector.

I wish you all good luck in the different corners of the world you may be in now and I hope to come back to beautiful Heidelberg soon.

I had learned a lot in Heidelberg to begin with, and am going to take the knowledge and experience from there with me wherever I go in the future. I had such a great experience in Heidelberg, and I still remember the New Year countdown up on the castle, and the great dinner at Prof. Junker’s house with others. After having graduated from the MAS 2006, I returned to Hong Kong well prepared to take up the position as a lecturer in American Studies at Hong Kong University. Besides, I attended conferences and published in academic journals and encyclopedias such as the Columbia Journal of American Studies, Magill’s Survey of American Literature, International Fiction Review, and the Encyclopedia of the Culture Wars. I was all the more excited to receive an offer from the College of William and Mary to earn my doctoral degree in American Studies starting this fall. Much as I have lost my heart in Heidelberg, I am looking forward to bringing with me the unique experience I had from there to Williamsburg in the coming years.

Blessed with sunshine and a mild summer breeze, participants of the HCA Ph.D. program in American Studies, together with teachers and students, convened on June 6 and 7 for the fifth annual Ph.D. colloquium at the Curt-Engelhorn-Seminarzentrum in Oberflockenbach. The Seminarzentrum, formerly the home of the Italian-born chansonnier Caterina Valente and acquired by our benefactor Curt Engelhorn, continues to serve as a favorite retreat for numerous study groups affiliated with the University of Heidelberg, among them the HCA Ph.D. program. As in previous years, the colloquium listened to exciting talks, witnessed stimulating discussions and brought together a wide range of speakers and topics, thereby living up to the intercultural and interdisciplinary mission of our institute.

The first panel Literary & Intellectual Interventions featured two Ph.D. candidates from the English Department, Tamara Treichel and Tobias Endler. They were followed by two HCA Ph.D. students, Cristina Mustea and Karsten Senkbeil, who presented their ongoing research in the field of Popular Culture & the Media. For the next panel which focused on Civil Rights at Home and Abroad, the floor was yielded to two young historians associated with the HCA, Anja Milde and Alexander Vazansky. Florian Pressler and Jiawei Mao, historians also, concluded the event with talks exploring different aspects of U.S. Foreign Economic Policy.

After the final panel, the participants left Oberflockenbach thoroughly satisfied. Apart from giving informed advice to panelists of diverse disciplinary backgrounds, the colloquium members managed to create a supportive and intellectually engaging atmosphere worthy of a true community of scholars.

Before coming to Heidelberg, I would never ever have thought what kind of experience I would gain there, experience that is really precious both in terms of academic knowledge and personal growth. Being part of the MAS taught me the real meaning of academic life that I was so desperately looking for. Moreover, the international environment we were all placed in, helped me to develop some interpersonal skills that appeared to be really helpful for my future career path.

After graduation, I got an internship position with one of the leading German flavor ingredient companies, where I became a market analyst. The HCA courses helped me to accomplish it. Afterwards, I moved to Moscow, where I was offered a position with one of the leading international consulting groups.

I just want to express my gratitude to Professor Junker, Dr. Kraft, Alex Vazansky and other members of HCA and encourage other students to take a chance and experience what we'd experienced. The year spent in Heidelberg took a special place in my heart and nobody will take it from me.

Since I came back I have been working at the newly organized Management Development Institute of Singapore at Tashkent. I teach English (Academic Skills) as well as Communication Skills tutorials. Together with my colleague from my previous job, who also studied abroad in 2007-2008, I organized a private training center where we prepare students for IELTS and TOEFL tests. So, I have two jobs at the moment and I really enjoy both. If you are interested you can read an article about the center and my work there at www.usembassy.uz. Overall, my expectations about coming back home and finding work at a university came true, which makes me very happy. Of course, the degree that I gained at the HCA has helped a lot. I am very thankful to all the teachers and HCA staff for having provided me with such great opportunities. The course gave me not only professional but also personal confidence.

Alexander Vazansky has been part of the HCA since October 2004. He got to know all MAS students, from the very first class that graduated in 2005 to this year’s graduating class, first as lecturer of the Methodology class and later, since October 2006, also as the MAS Coordinator. In this position, Alex took care of the MAS students from the application process and their first days in Heidelberg to the completion of the program and the final stages of the commencement. During his time at the HCA, Alex was also writing his dissertation in history, entitled “An Army in Crisis: Social Conflicts in the United States Army, Europe and 7th Army, 1968-1975.” He successfully defended his dissertation in April 2009. Not only was his time at the HCA professionally successful, but it brought about a great change in his private life. In September 2007, he met Dr. Jeannette Jones, who came to the HCA as a guest professor. In August 2009, they were married in a beautiful ceremony on Long Island. Now Alex is leading a new life as a husband and lecturer at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

More than a year has passed since the graduation of the MAS class 2007. It is unbelievable that time goes by so fast. While I was studying at the HCA, I told myself that I would keep in touch with my professors and classmates after the graduation. Well, I was going to, but every time when I had decided to send an email, I kept telling myself, “wait until you have something that is worth telling”, “wait until your project ends successfully and then you can share your joy with others”, etc. Now, I believe this was not a good idea at all.

Christian Kempf, a student assistant at the HCA, offered me to write an article for the newsletter and I agreed without hesitating because it was such a good opportunity to say “Hi” to everybody. First of all, I hope things are going well for everyone. Secondly, I once again would like to thank the HCA professors and staff for providing students with good quality education. The HCA diploma is truly serving me well here in Kyrgyzstan.

After I returned from Heidelberg, I was still working on my M.A. thesis. It was a very difficult task to write my thesis with my daughter dragging all my books and papers around the house. Besides, my wife and daughter wanted me to spend some time with them after being apart for 6 months. The deadline for the thesis was putting extra stress on me as well. Despite all the difficulties, I managed to finish my thesis before the deadline, of which I am very proud.

After I sent off my M.A. thesis, I took some time visiting relatives and friends. For several weeks my routine was the same: sleeping, watching TV and eating good food. Then, I started to look for a job. I decided to take some time off from academia because I could not look at my books any more. A friend of mine made me the offer to be a manager for his small construction project and I agreed. The project lasted for a year and I believe it was a success. I was responsible for the overall management of the construction of a car repair shop. I acquired management skills, learned to work with bureaucrats in government bodies and became familiar with construction and auto parts business.

In May 2009, I got a chance to participate at a conference in Potsdam, Germany. Unfortunately, my travel visa was only valid for a few days, so I did not have time to visit Heidelberg. Recently I applied and was admitted to the Ph.D. program at the Diplomatic Academy of the Foreign Ministry of the Kyrgyz Republic. I plan to start teaching at a university this fall semester. Finally, I would like to ask the MAS Class of 2007 to keep in touch and share their experiences after the program. I wish you all good luck in your endeavors.

On behalf of the Samuel Proctor Oral History Program of the University of Florida Raymond A. Eberling is the recipient of the 2010 Julian Pleasants Travel Award. A retired U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel, Mr. Eberling received his Bachelor of Arts in Education (B.A.E.) from the University of Florida in 1970. The Julian Pleasants Travel Award was created in honor of Dr. Julian Pleasants, Director Emeritus of the Samuel Proctor Oral History Program and longtime Professor of History at the University of Florida. The Pleasants Travel Award promotes cutting edge oral history research at UF.

Immediately following graduation from the Heidelberg Center for American Studies (actually two months prior) I began a new adventure in law school. I graduated from Florida International University College of Law in May of 2009. Moving to Miami so soon after Heidelberg proved to be a bit of a shock. South Florida seems to demonstrate its laidback ways in every aspect of society including law and order (three consecutive years awarded “Worst City for Aggressive Driving”). I enjoy returning to Germany every year and worrying less (for example, when I ride my bike down the street).

I chose FIU because of its wide selection of international classes and renowned international faculty. Having such a positive experience at the HCA I knew I wanted to parlay that experience with whatever future career path I chose. Concentrating in international law allowed me to do just that. In fact, during my studies at FIU I was lucky enough to return to Germany via a summer internship with Rechtsanwaltskanzlei Winter, Ohr, Bock & Sylvester in Frankenthal, Germany. Currently I am looking for jobs overseas that allow me to utilize the education I gained through the HCA and FIU.

After graduating from law school I passed the July 2009 Florida bar and began practicing law in Miami. The firm I work for specializes in commercial and civil litigation. I recently was involved in a case concerning copyright infringement at Hed Kandi, a club in South Beach. It was an interesting experience because it involved actors from all over the world with arbitration in London but legal jurisdiction in Miami. I have also volunteered for a couple non profits along the way as well.

While graduating with a Masters in American Studies and a Juris Doctor rank high on my list of accomplishments, I am most happy about my two little girls (both deutschicans, i.e. my wife’s German) that have come into the world since graduating from the HCA. Currently the family and I are looking for jobs back in Germany and can’t wait to see what the future holds.

Following my graduation from the HCA’s MAS program, I remained in Heidelberg and began working on my doctoral dissertation. After gradually shifting away from my initial topic, I settled in on the theme—an analysis of the religious discourse on the death penalty in contemporary America. I undertook extensive field research in the United States in 2008-09 and was fortunate to receive considerable support from the HCA’s Ghaemian Travel Fund, Heidelberg University’s Graduiertenakademie and from the German Historical Institute in Washington, DC. I submitted and defended the dissertation in 2010, earning my Ph.D.

Over the last several years, while working toward my Ph.D. and since obtaining it, I have taken advantage of numerous opportunities to teach courses on American history and American religion. Through these courses, I have been able to interact with students from all over the world. Classroom discussions are interesting and instructive, for me as well as for the students, and I value these interactions.

Recently, I have also been working to help plan a major international, interdisciplinary conference on “Religion and the Marketplace in the U.S.” The conference, which promises to be very exciting and mark a major contribution to scholarship on religion in the United States, will be convened at the HCA in October of 2011.

Currently, I am in the United States with my family, conducting the first of two sets of field research for my new research project, an investigation of the sports fan base as an extended congregation. Supported by a fellowship from the German Research Foundation (DFG), the work has been fruitful and profitable, and I have benefitted from exchanges over here with colleagues and with students working on sports, religion or related issues. As well as the research is going, and as excited as I am about working through the most eventful NFL offseason I’ve ever known, I am very much looking forward to returning to Heidelberg this June.

The most important and biggest change in my life in the years since the MAS, actually two changes, were the arrivals of my two beautiful daughters—both of whom are also looking forward to being back home in Heidelberg.

“Caminos de la libertad“ (“Roads to Freedom”) is one of the most prestigious and competitive essay contests in the Spanish speaking world. It is organized by TV Azteca, a Mexican communication network owned by the Salinas Group, which actively engages in promoting ideas of individual freedom, the rule of law, constitutional democracy, and the free market. Each year between 600 and 900 authors, many of them university professors, participate in the contest. An expert commission then selects around ten essays and the finalists are invited to Mexico to receive distinctions and prizes during a festive ceremony. MAS graduate Axel Kaiser (class of 2011), who now pursues a doctorate in the HCA’s Ph.D. program, submitted an essay entitled “Inflación y libertad individual” (“Inflation and Individual Freedom”). Axel argues that the expansion of the money supply by central banks arbitrarily confiscates the fruits of our labor by devaluating the currency. He sees this as a direct attack on property rights and individual freedom because the material means to pursue our ends are partially expropriated, leaving us with fewer choices. Along the lines of Nobel laureate economist Friedrich von Hayek, Axel also argues that artificially low interest rates set by central banks are the cause of boom and bust cycles. They destroy wealth and create depressions leading to a spiral of government intervention which deepens the crisis. In addition, and following John Maynard Keynes, Axel sustains that inflation transfers wealth from the masses to governments and financial elites, who can use the newly created money to purchase goods and services at pre-inflationary prices. This enables them to take a larger share of the goods and services produced in an economy without having contributed to its growth.

Axel Kaiser, Mario Vargas Llosa,
and Ricardo Salinas (president Salinas Group)

This analysis convinced the selection committee. They named Axel one of the finalists in the 2011 “Caminos de la libertad” contest and flew him to Mexico City. He received his award in a ceremony attended by Mexican business leaders, intellectuals, and politicians, among them the daughter of Octavio Paz, the Mexican Nobel laureate writer. 2010 Nobel laureate writer Mario Vargas Llosa handed out the awards. Axel had the privilege of getting to know him better that evening over a long dinner with fascinating conversation. Axel describes Vargas Llosa as a friendly, down to earth person, who has made of the cause of liberty his central motivation in life. He found him not the least arrogant, a feature which Axel thinks distinguishes great men from merely successful men. They talked about living and studying in Heidelberg, a city Vargas Llosa praised for its beauty and intellectual history. In the conversation, they also discovered that they had a common friend – a small world indeed. He is a leading Latin American economist who wrote the introduction to a book on the financial crisis that Axel published a couple of months ago in Chile. Since he happened to have a copy with him, Axel presented it to Vargas Llosa and in exchange asked him to sign the German version of his novel Travesuras de una niña mala, (Das böse Mädchen), which Vargas Llosa kindly did. During the exchange, Axel couldn’t help to think, “what a great deal for Vargas Llosa.”

Congratulations, Axel, on your prize in the “Caminos de la libertad” contest – we are sure you had a great time in Mexico.

Following my graduation from the HCA’s MAS program in 2007, I worked in a variety of positions in the PR and marketing field. I started out as a PR assistant for one of Germany’s largest agency networks in Munich and then moved on to support a parliament member in her office in Berlin. Most recently, I moved to the United States where I got married to fellow HCA ’07 graduate Bobby Lee this spring. We both live in Berkeley, California now. Bobby is pursuing his Ph.D. in history at UC Berkeley and I am working as a Senior Program Coordinator for UC Berkeley's Simons Institute for the Theory of Computing.

Oksana Yeshyorkina (MAS 2011) and Ergün Baylan (MAS 2012) first met at one of the many events put on by the HCA. At a TGIF occasion in 2010, on a long walk on the Philosophenweg, Ergün and Oksana saw stars in each other’s eyes. After a courtship consisting of long trips on the number 5 tram to Mannheim, delicious dinners at Istanbul restaurant, and spending time with friends and colleagues in Heidelberg Ergün and Oksana decided to stay together after Oksana’s graduation in April 2011 and her subsequent move to Turkey. Later in the year, in September, on the coast of the Aegean sea in Assos, Turkey, where Aristotle founded his School of Philosophy, Ergün finally proposed to Oksana.

They married in July of 2012 in Ergün’s hometown of Karabük. At the wedding, Elif Huntürk (MAS 2011) and Bryan Banker (MAS 2012) were thrilled to serve as Oksana’s Maid of Honor and Ergün’s Best Man, respectively. Currently, both Ergün and Oksana are doctoral students at the John F. Kennedy Institute for North American Studies at Freie Universität Berlin.

After a bit over 6 years since my graduation from the Master of Arts in American Studies program I cannot find a simple answer to the question what I gained from my degree at the Heidelberg Center for American Studies. As a student of the HCA, first of all I profited from the experience and patience of the MAS staff in order to learn about concepts that I may have had to master already since the undergraduate level, but unfortunately I was lacking in. Like the idea of the necessity of a 'scholarly method' in our papers, taught during the Methodology seminar in our first semester. As hard as it was for me for all its common sense, after one year I was finally able to answer the question: Alright, you wish to analyze a piece of literature, but what is your method? And I was able to appreciate its importance.

Secondly, I profited from the classes on American Literature which always surpassed the known routine of everyday courses of literary history. They revealed to us that literature can be experienced, understood and quantified not only as the product of a certain age or current but, most importantly, of a person, of an imagination. I learned that empathy is essential when reading and teaching literature, both with the author and the audience. Our literature courses helped me add to the method the aim of my endeavor, the answer to the question I had been struggling with during my undergraduate years: What is literature good for, in practice? The answer being: for people. Finally, the daring experiments that were our Business Culture course and especially the Literature-Business Seminar laid the foundation for some intellectual ventures, as well as some new questions, which would come in handy in due time.

It was one really short year, and I truly realized this when I had to say goodbye to the people with whom I managed to form a close fellowship of sorts, the ones that could not but remain a colorful part of my life, although since the graduation half a world away. For this one year was not all just fruitful labor, but immense fun as well – as stands proof one merry evening of innocent imbibing on the public transportation between Technologie Park and Bismarck Platz, the guilty parties besides myself remaining unnamed (they know who they are). This freedom is one advantage of life in Heidelberg, and Germany in general, which should weigh on prospective students' decision where to take up graduate studies.

But returning to more sober matters, after my year at the HCA a rather radical change occurred in my professional life. I applied for an entry-level position with an American company here in Cluj-Napoca and started learning a new craft. This was followed by a role in Inside Sales, which I am still pursuing at the moment. The reading of books and formulation of ideas may have reverted to a weekend past time. But the culture of business did grow remarkably from an introductory course into a day-to-day reality.

It is nevertheless the experience itself, the inside knowledge with the outside perspective that gave me the skills which were most useful in the world of outsourced services and matrix organizations. As a concrete, practical institution, the HCA, through its highly competent Master´s program, its mix of American and foreign ideas and individuals, its academic seriousness imbued with a business-like familiarity, managed to offer several perspectives and numerous insights which slowly nudged me in the right direction. It also opened some doors that helped me make some small sense of the world we are living in, while carving a place for myself in it.

After finishing the MAS program in 2007, I returned to Georgia and worked as an international relations coordinator for a local company. Then I moved to the public sector and I held the position of chief specialist in the department of international relations at the Ministry of Regional Development and Infrastructure. The transferable and interpersonal skills obtained in the international environment at the HCA enabled me to successfully cooperate with foreign stakeholders and partners at my previous jobs, as well as to cope with all kinds of challenging situations.

I would say the MAS program was an important factor in shaping my future, ultimate objectives and interests. The program allowed me to refine my academic competencies and broaden my horizons. Methodology and American Literature appeared to be especially beneficial and interesting, arousing my intellectual curiosity and developing analytical and writing skills, thus contributing to my professional formation. For that I would like to express my sincere gratitude and appreciation to my thesis supervisor, Professor Dietmar Schloss, who stimulated my interest in literature and encouraged my final decision to do a research project on early American novels. The result of the mentioned classes is that I am currently pursuing my Ph.D. in philology at Tbilisi State University. The program focuses on literary translation criticism. Further, I am a TA and I deliver a special course on translation theory and practice. At the same time, I work in translation; I have recently initiated a philological study of George Byron’s personal correspondence and I plan to edit its first collection of Georgian translations.

Studying at the HCA and spending a year in Heidelberg was a rewarding experience for me. I wish every student would be offered an opportunity of studying in Heidelberg, the most enchanting and ravishing city in Germany. In addition to providing education and academic expertise, the MAS program facilitated the building of social relations and gave us a chance to interact with people of different cultural and ethnic backgrounds. This international flavor helped our student life to become an unforgettable and exciting adventure. Since graduation, I hadn’t seen any of my classmates until last year, when Marina Borisova and her husband paid me a visit to Georgia, which made me very happy. Our meeting was a real celebration, with Georgian cuisine and wine and a reunion of friends who have much in common: vivid recollections of the past life in Heidelberg, present values and interests. It was a real surprise that we both felt as if we only saw each other just a couple of days before.

Here is my advice to those who are just about to study abroad: If you decide to continue your education in Germany, believe me, the city of Heidelberg is the best place and the HCA is the best institution. There one can uniquely integrate the academic aspirations and the out-of-class experience. The significant point to consider is that the HCA staff creates a friendly learning environment and a cozy atmosphere where all students are equally inspired and supported.

It was in 2011 during my internship with the Konrad-Adenauer-Foundation in Washington D.C., when I decided that I wanted to pursue a career in political interest representation. So when I received my Master's degree at the HCA in 2013, I had already started applying to various companies, foundations, political parties and consultancies. Yet, it took me quite a while until I was offered a six-month post-grad internship at the Government Relations Team of eBay in Berlin.

At eBay, my work was soon rewarded with growing competencies and more responsibilities, as well as a six-month extension. By the end of the year, I was representing eBay´s daughter company PayPal at several political working groups and public events, had lead a CSR campaign and finished a paper on skills and tools in e-commerce for the eBay Public Policy Center, which will be published in 2015. Unfortunately, due to internal global changes this year, my contract was not extended, and I am currently negotiating with a number of other companies.

Looking back now, I can say that the MA program at the HCA taught me quite a bit that I still use on a daily basis as a lobbyist. Besides the immense background knowledge about American society and culture, which helps a lot when working for an American company, or with U.S. citizens in general, I would emphasize three key skills that I have developed, or expanded at the HCA:

• Perseverance: Working with politicians or federal institutions to educate them about specific economic developments, so the legislative body considers the implication an upcoming decision might have, is a long-term business. With regard to the many issues, laws, and stakeholders a politician has in mind, it takes a lot of perseverance to follow your agenda and make sure that your lawmaker acknowledges your request. Perseverance is something I learned working on my thesis and the papers I wrote at the HCA. Knowing how to deal with working on a project for a long time without any major developments, or experiencing severe changes in strategy and approach while gathering new information, is something useful to learn for any job.
• Curiosity: The variety of topics and problems discussed at the HCA helped me develop a sense of open-mindedness towards issues that have not necessarily been on my radar yet. Working in tech, I am part of economic, social, and political developments that are constantly changing and reinventing themselves. Curiosity is a must-have at my job, in order to always stay informed and possibly even ahead of others.
• Reading and writing: During one of my first job interviews, I was told by the head lobbyist of a large international company that social scientists were his favorite on the job, because they knew how to read and write. Once I started working with bill proposals, position papers, and press statements, I realized what he meant. The countless hours of reading at the library and working on papers have taught me to summarize and simplify large and complicated texts and to put it on paper with only a few precise sentences, where every word counts.

Besides those, there are a number of other skills, methods, and personal attributes I developed at the HCA, which proved to be useful at my job. To name only a few, I am very confident in my presentation skills today, I can easily interact with people from all sorts of different cultural backgrounds, and I am now able to listen to a 9-minute presentation and summarize the key findings in only a few sentences.

In conclusion, I can say that my Master's at the HCA taught me well, even though I decided not to follow an academic career, but chose to work at the interface of business and politics. Whenever I am asked whether I would do it again, I can certainly say, that for me, it was a great choice and I would enroll again with the HCA at any time.

Getting accepted for the Heidelberg Center for American Studies’ Master program was very exciting for me. I still can recall that Friday evening in May when I received the e-mail congratulating me on the achievement. I even remember the phone interview with the MAS Coordinator Dr. Anne Sommer after which I panicked and being afraid I had not said enough, called her back to say how much I would love to study at the HCA. Ever since my arrival in Heidelberg in 2012, the HCA and particularly the people working / studying there have been a great influence on my life.

First of all, the HCA staff (with any luck, my friends pardon me for putting staff first). Yes, some of them were better teachers than others. Yes, some of them were better friends than others. But, all in all, together they construct a solid group of very well-educated and intelligent people who have always been very helpful and inspirational.

The second influence came from my classmates, fellows, peers, but most of all, friends. The 2014 class was a mixture of characters, countries, nations, cultures, and values that created a melting pot of ideas. While spending time together, both inside and outside of classes, we managed to establish some long-last friendships. Although when studying abroad you seldom see your peers after you graduate, I still hope to keep the pledge to meet everyone in their respective countries someday.

Despite the praise both groups of teachers and students honestly deserve, at the end of the day the decisions that influence us the most are those of our own. While still in the program, I began exploring some post-MA opportunities. Since my primary focus of study was American foreign policy and its history, I applied and later got into the internship program at the George C. Marshall Center for European Studies in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Even before graduating from the HCA, I signed up for teaching and guest-lecturing at the University of Economics and Comenius University, both based in Bratislava. I lectured on the topics of American society, history, political system, and foreign policy. Since I was still considered a student at that time, I could remember which teacher’s practices and habits to implement and which ones to avoid.

I am currently based in Norfolk, Virginia, working as an operational analyst at NATO HQ Supreme Command Transformation. My contract expires in September and I still do not have a clear idea what the future holds for me. One thing remains sure – I want to continue pursuing the goal of stronger transatlantic ties, raising awareness of American issues in Europe, and build on what I learned at the HCA.

​My time at the Heidelberg Center for American Studies (HCA) could not have been more valuable. The MAS program provided me with broad academic knowledge and also enhanced my English skills like no other. The structure and expectations of the program introduced me to a profound understanding of innovative learning and teaching methods, not to mention a wonderful life experience. All those factors have significantly contributed to my academic, professional, and personal development.

After graduation, I returned to my home country and continued to work in the English Department of Banking Academy, one of the most prestigious universities in Vietnam. My tasks there were not so different from the approach of the MAS. Valuing my skills, the Dean and the Boards of Directors strongly acknowledged my work and supported me in many ways. To give you an impression, I was in charge of syllabuses for existing courses in Academic Writing, which might sound familiar to some MAS students. Additionally, I managed translation practices and developed a new course on Cross-Culture Studies at Banking Academy. I was also partly in charge of developing the curriculum for the BA program in English for Banking and Finance, as well as the English for academic purposes program. In recognition of my efforts, I was appointed the vice-chair of English for Specific Purposes Division at Banking Academy of Vietnam only three years after receiving my MAS.

With my degree from the strong and well respected program at the HCA, I was awarded a fellowship in 2014 to pursue a Ph.D. in American Studies at the University of Hawaii at Manoa due to a collaboration with Vietnam International Education Development (VIED)- East-West Center (EWC). Since my youngest child was just 5 months old at that time, I decided to postpone a Ph.D. until 2015, when I applied for several Ph.D. programs in American Studies in the United States. The well-known reputation of the HCA had a tremendous influence as I got admitted to several universities, namely the University at Buffalo-SUNY; University of Hawaii at Manoa (UHM), and Bowling Green State University (BGSU) which even offered a four-year full scholarship for their Ph.D. program.

It is undeniable that I couldn't have got such considerable professional and academic achievements without valuable supports from my esteemed professors at the HCA and my knowledge and experience gained from the MAS.

I would like to send my deepest gratitude to the HCA for awarding me - a student from a disadvantageous country – a MAS scholarship so that I had a great opportunity to study in Germany, where I started a new chapter of my life. It helped me become more competitive in the academic and professional fields, but most importantly, I met and got married to an ideal husband who gives me lots of encouragements and supports in my career, resulting in a happy marriage with 2 beautiful children.

​​During a formative internship at the German Historical Institute in Washington, DC, I decided to apply to the HCA after completing my B.A. in history and political science at the University of Tuebingen. An international flair combined with a traditional student town and excellent education is what I was looking for and Heidelberg and the HCA delivered above all expectations. It was the best decision I made in my life.

​​I grew academically through the vast variety of subjects, perspectives, and approaches, and I made friends for life. The HCA gave us plenty of room to engage in discussion, not only during class, but also during the countless evening lectures and other social gatherings.

In the course of our last semester of the MAS, the first BAS class was admitted to the HCA and I was honored to teach a seminar of “Soft Skills for Academics” to them. Through that seminar and other TA work, I stayed connected to the HCA for several years after my graduation. In 2011, I became the assistant to the executive director of the German Association for American Studies (DGfA). In this job, I was able to use the communications and analytical skills, but also the subject matter expertise learned during the MAS. Before moving to the US with my family in 2014, I started a Ph.D. project in contemporary history at the University of Mannheim, where I concentrate on migration from the former Yugoslavia to Germany and the US.

We are planning on making our way back to Germany in the coming years and Heidelberg is always on the short list of places to move back to.

For Goethe, Heidelberg was the place where he lost his heart; for me, Heidelberg is the place you can fall in love with at the very first sight. Indeed, I am very grateful for this beautiful small city, but especially for the HCA that introduced me to Heidelberg and granted me an unforgettable experience. I still clearly remember the day I received the “Zulassung” from the HCA plus a full scholarship from Heidemarie Engelhorn. At the first day at the HCA, the friendly smiles and the cozy family-like atmosphere reassured me that having come to this Institute had been the right decision. The MAS Program provided me with a fruitful academic expertise and cross-cultural experiences that are quite valuable to my career, and I gained many dear friends amongst the faculty and in the class.

During my studies at the HCA, I took an interdisciplinary approach to study American art. After my graduation, I started to work as a journalist for art criticism in Shanghai for the Oriental Morning Post/ Art Criticism and later simultaneously for its online media ThePaper.cn/ Outlook on Arts. I wrote critical articles, made reports, did translations and interviews on a wide range of topics related to art such as contemporary art reviews, public art, art education, art foundations, art and international relations, reviews on important artists, artistic schools and events in history, art collection as well as archeology, architecture, animation etc. and accomplished a large number of publications both in the newspaper and online. I feel honored to have had the opportunities to interview renowned professors, researchers, artists, directors of art museums, foundations and academies etc. both from China and abroad. In this respect, I am also grateful to the HCA because my cross-cultural experience there helps me to embrace the world as home.

In 2016, I became a faculty member at the Art History Department of Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts. Commissioned by our executive dean Prof. Dawei Wang and vice dean Prof. Jiangbo Jin, I led a project last year called the “International Public Art Study Workshop” in Shanghai and Beijing and welcomed a lot of honorable professors, researchers, artists, curators and students from China, Germany , Austria, the USA and Nigeria. Our workshop not only achieved a substantial academic accomplishment, but also built friendships around the globe. The warm atmosphere of our team again reminded me of the HCA.

Overall, I am very grateful to the HCA for providing me with such a wonderful program and research environment plus a renowned scholarship! I felt honored to be able to participate in the celebration of the 625th anniversary of Ruperto Carola of Heidelberg University in 2011. The beautiful city itself, loaded with rich history and culture, is definitely a perfect place to study and enjoy life. I wish all the best for all my dear professors and friends at the HCA!

After graduation, I returned to my home country, China, and started my career in Beijing as a public relations professional, first at a public relations agency and then moving to the non-profit sector. Currently I am working for the Beijing representative’s office of the World Resources Institute, a US-based international think tank on environmental protection and sustainable development, leading its communications effort in China, providing consultancy for some government sectors on their public communications strategies.

The MAS program helped me in my career in many ways. The HCA was, and always has been such an internationalized program that gathers students from a variety of countries with different cultural backgrounds. I learned not only to study/work with diversified groups, but also to respect and understand different ideas. This experience is quite valuable for me, as I need to work with colleagues from eight offices across five continents on a daily basis. I believe it was my studies at the HCA that prepared me for this kind of global working environment. As a think tank, the institute I am working for aims at solving environmental problems through science-based policy recommendations. Such recommendations are based on understanding political structure, policy research, economic cost-benefit, societal conditions, cultural perceptions, etc. The research methodology and fundamental understandings about those disciplines can easily be found in the MAS program. The HCA did not provide us with every single piece of information we needed in our careers, but it did something even more important and lasting. It helped us build an adaptable solid academic foundation to explore more possibilities in the future.

Besides studying, many good memories were made by spending our time together in Heidelberg. I still remember the days we visited Berlin for an excursion, the evenings the professors invited us to their houses, and the nights we wandered around the Altstadt, the old city, dining and celebrating.

To the current students of the center, I would say: Treasure every moment you have at the HCA, because you will definitely miss it after you leave.