This week:

I spoke with 3 RISE alumnae who share their experiences and best practices on how to apply.

I spoke with:

Elizabeth: interned at Munich University of Applied Sciences and researched on 3-d printing with concrete project

Nandana: interned at the Hochschule Kaiserslautern and worked on an advanced usability and gamification project

And Lauryn went to Freiberg and studied iron oxide catalysts for the catalytic converters for the oxidation of methane gas.

In this episode, I share 11 more interviews from the NAFSA conference in May for my special project as part of the 2023-24 Diversity Abroad Communities of Practice: Career Advancement and Belonging. My conversations revolve around career advancement and the sense of belonging within one's professional journey.

A big thank you to my interviewees for sharing their stories during a very busy conference week, oftentimes in crowded, loud spaces: Alyssa Slager (1:36) Anna Hayes (7:25) Sally McLeod (12:22) Travis Pentz (16:10) Ximena Ospina (23:26) Kate Campbell (31:35) Lee Rivers (35:00) Lindsay Calvert (41:50) Katherine Haan (46:15) Mar Roig Ripoll (55:48) Tiff Pierskalla (1:06:13).

In this special episode of Coffee Connections, my conversations revolve around career advancement and the sense of belonging within one's professional journey. Thanks to Peter Kerrigan, Andreas Mai, Katja Simons, Nicole Saverschek and Stephen Sechrist, who share their experiences, and insights on how they entered the field, the steps they took to advance, and the importance of transferrable skills. Whether you're just starting or looking to take the next step in your professional career, or you are just curious about other experiences from professionals in the field of International Education, this episode offers valuable advice and personal stories. Have a listen!

In this special episode of Coffee Connections, my conversations revolve around career advancement and the sense of belonging within one's professional journey. My fellow members of the 2023-24 Diversity Abroad Communities of Practice: Career Advancement and Belonging Claudio Castenada, Gabrielle Cascio, Emma Freese, Tiffany Komon, Sherene Awong, and Stephanie Ramin share their experiences and insights on how they entered the field, the steps they took to advance, and the importance of transferrable skills. They also talk about what they love about their work. Whether you're just starting out or looking to take the next step, this episode offers valuable advice and personal stories.

Today’s Coffee Connection is another musical episode. I chatted with composer Philipp Kaspar, a DAAD alumnus and recent NYU graduate.

Philipp is originally from Germany and now works in the music industry in New York. We chatted about his musical path and how New York played a big role in what he does today. My highlights of our conversation were hearing about the reading parties he plays at and learning about contemporary German music.

If you are in New York, keep an eye out for Philipp’s performances.

Relevant links

https://open.spotify.com/artist/5hdlsna9Z2wKwBbYaWDR8d?si=fcr_l0anSrSkFequ1Ka8qQ

https://hmc.chartmetric.com/deutschrap-german-hip-hop-rappers/

Philipp's projects:

- @emonightbrooklyn

- @gimmegimmedisco

- @readingrhythms

In today’s Coffee Connection I had the chance to speak with one of our dedicated Young Ambassadors, Paige Lyles, a Civil Engineer at UC Berkeley.

Paige spent last summer as a research intern at the Hochschule München with DAAD RISE (Research Internship in Science and Engineering) focusing her research on 3D printing of concrete.

Paige shares her experience as a RISE intern, how she found out about the program, what the application was like, and she shares some tips and best practices to successfully apply.

Paige summarizes her experience: “whatever your experience is, you won’t regret it.” She says it will help you grow as a human for your next opportunities and the next chapter of your life.

All content is created and edited by me, Hanni Geist. If you would like to get in touch, send an email to [email protected].

In today’s Coffee Connection, I had the chance to speak with 3 of our 2023-24 Young Ambassadors. Every year, DAAD selects students from the US and Canada to share their Germany experience with their peers on their respective campuses. In August, DAAD invited the new Young Ambassadors for training in New York. I had the opportunity to sit down with 3 Young Ambassadors: Vicky, Hannah, and Grace.

You can find their and the other YA’s info on our www.daad.org website. Check out our DAAD USA Instagram account where we regularly have student takeovers from our Young Ambassadors, and Gilman-DAAD and RISE alumni, who share their Germany experience.

A few weeks ago, I went to the Society for Women Engineers conference in Los Angeles to represent Research in Germany. One day RISE alumna and Industrial Engineer, Alaina Washington came to the booth and shared a bit about her experience at the Hamburg University of Technology.

In this short episode Alaina’ describes the application process, and her work as an intern. She also shares more about her time outside the lab. Have a listen to hear her excitement about the time in Germany and her experience with DAAD Research Internship in Science and Engineering.

In today’s Coffee Connection I had the chance to speak with one of our 2023-24 Young Ambassadors, Meg Takezawa, a chemistry major at the University of Washington, who participated in the DAAD RISE program.

Meg shares her experience as a RISE intern, how she found out about the program, what the application was like, and shares some tips and best practices to apply successfully. She describes in detail her day-to-day experience in and outside the lab. One sentence stood out “the RISE internship changed my life!”

You can find her and the other YA’s info on our www.daad.org website. Check out our DAAD USA Instagram account where we regularly have student takeovers from our Young Ambassadors, Gilman-DAAD and RISE alumni, who share their Germany experience.

All content is created and edited by me, Hanni Geist. If you would like to get in touch, send an email to [email protected].

Today’s Coffee Connection is another musical episode. I chatted with oboist Ann Lemke, a DAAD Alumna and current Research Ambassador, who recently released her CD Oboe Salon.

You can find Ann on her website www.lemkestudio.com/ann-lemke, on Facebook and Instagram @lemkestudio.