Dona Totova Lacayo ’05, the chief commercial and public affairs officer at the Port of Hueneme (wy-NEEM-ee) in California, minored in German along with her major in International Business at CofC and enjoyed courses with Herr Della Lana and Dr. Baginski during her studies. She is featured in this summer’s edition of CofC’s magazine (see below) and we followed up with her to ask what role German has played in her many career successes.

Her response: “The German minor at the College of Charleston has given me the confidence and ability to use the language on business trips to Germany and while working with clients and business partners that also use the language. Knowing the German language has been extremely helpful throughout my career, connecting with people is key to continued collaboration and great business relationships.”

Congratulations on all of your successes Dona, and we look forward to following your career as it arcs ever upward!

Alumna Runs a Tight Ship

Inside the Academic Mind: Irina Erman

This summer, German and English double major Jake Keim ’19 is interning in journalism at the Frankfurter Neue Presse in Frankfurt am Main as part of the CofC Cultural Vistas Summer Internship in Germany program. His first assignment was a sweet one: a review of the Cereal Culture Cafe in Bornheim. Read Jake’s entertaining narrative of his 5-course sugar bomb experience in German and in English below!

We let our American intern try the new Cereal Café in Frankfurt-Bornheim

Does studying German and interning and Germany really help Science majors in their med school applications and careers? We recently caught up with CofC alum Stuart Gilreath ’14, currently a medical student at the University of South Carolina, to ask about his experience as a minor in German at CofC and intern at a hospital in Germany through our Cultural Vistas Summer Internship program.

Stuart Gilreath ’14 (Biology and German, Honors College), currently in med school at the University of South Carolina.

“During the summer of 2012 I enrolled in the Cultural Vistas Summer Internship program alongside a handful of other students. This program provides a wide variety of internship opportunities. Members of my group were awarded internships in business, publishing, sports management, art management, chemistry, and healthcare. My internship took me to the Chirurgische Klinik und Poliklinik TU, München, where I shadowed surgeons and medical students. Beyond simply shadowing, some of my other tasks included holding retractors during surgery and assisting with wound dressing (under supervision, of course).

Studying German has benefited me academically and professionally. I found it to be a culturally enriching addition to an otherwise primarily science-oriented education. All my professors were enthusiastic and supportive, and found entertaining ways to practice the language, such as composing character monologues to perform for the class or writing narrative papers. I would strongly encourage anyone interested in foreign language or experiences abroad to consider German!”

Sarah Dinning represents Mercedes-Benz Vans at the job fair of the 2nd CofC German-American Business Summit, February 8th, 2018

Only in her sophomore year, Marketing and German student Sarah Dinning has spent the spring and summer of 2018 interning in Communications at Mercedes-Benz Vans. But are Marketing and German really a good fit? Absolutely, says Sarah:

“When I started at the College, I decided to take German for my language requirement. Halfway through my first semester in German 101, I decided to become a German major. I really wanted to pursue German but I was worried about how I would incorporate it into my other studies. As it turns out, Marketing and German are a fantastic combination. I landed an internship at Mercedes-Benz Vans, LLC, where I get to use and improve my German everyday while also improving my skillset in Marketing and Communications. It’s really the best of both worlds, because as a business major, people try to sway you away from pursuing a language by saying, “but what will you actually do with it?” but it has helped me immensely in my studies and in finding an internship. I’ve made a lot of really great connections by studying German, and I’m even planning on going to graduate school in Germany – something I never would have considered before. There are so many great German companies in South Carolina, and you are really setting yourself up for unique opportunities by choosing to study German.”

BERLIN – MARCH 25: Adam Chubb of Berlin in action during the Basketball Bundesliga match between Alba Berlin and Ratiopharm Ulm at the O2 World Arena on March 25, 2009 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Matthias Kern/Bongarts/Getty Images)

Q: What led you to play professional basketball in Germany and what was it like to play there for a decade?

A. I accepted a job in Germany my second year out playing professional basketball. I originally went to Germany because I was offered a job, but stayed for 10 years because I loved the country, its people and culture. They had a great sports culture and basketball was an up and coming sport due to Dirk Nowitzki catching on fast in the NBA. The culture and atmosphere was similar to the United States so that helped me feel comfortable no matter what region of the country I played and lived in some small farm towns as well as big cities like Berlin. I was able to get a feel for the country and its people over my 10 years there.

Q: During your long career in Germany, you worked with a wide range of professionals in sports medicine, physiotherapy, and athletic training. How and why does Germany excel so much in these fields?

A. The German Sport University in a renowned university in Köln that was founded in 1947. With 6000 students, the university produces some of the top sports medicine professionals in the world. Germany also has a strong soccer culture and high-performing clubs that demand top doctors, trainers and physiotherapists to keep their athletes healthy. Even American athletes like Kobe Bryant and Alex Rodriguez have traveled to Germany to see German doctors and get treatment they can’t receive anywhere else in the world.

Q. You didn’t speak German before you made the move, but learned German on the ground and on the court. Why should students interested in careers in sports-related fields learn German?

A. Since Germany is known for its sports medicine, learning German would be beneficial to anyone interested in a sports-related field. With the globalization of sports and business today, speaking German would created great opportunities in the United States as well as overseas. It would give you top-level access to sports and medicine-related fields as well as education.

Q. After you ended your career, you moved to Charleston and recently joined the Advisory Board of CofC’s School of Languages, Cultures, and World Affairs. Why did you get involved with LCWA at the College and what do you hope to accomplish on the board?

A. I am hoping to be a resource for advice and guidance to the school and students through my international, cultural and business experiences in Europe. Being able help others reach their international business and education goals by sharing my experiences and connections is my ultimate goal.

German + Accounting = Success! Just ask German and Accounting Major Garek Stanley ’20, who is interning at IFA in Finance this summer!

“Standing out in today’s job market is paramount to a successful business career. With the number of German companies growing in the Southeast, choosing a double major in Accounting and German is an avenue that has already paid great dividends to me as an Intern at IFA. My German language skills, paired with Accounting as a second major, sets me apart from others because I am able to communicate with co-workers from Germany and engage in daily Accounting/Business/Finance discussions in their native language. I look forward to what the future holds for me after graduation when I join the elite group of Accountants who operate seamlessly within a German company.”

Garek Stanley at his internship in the Finance department at IFA

Congratulations to Russian Studies minor and polyglot extraordinaire Tyler Owens, who has received a prestigious Critical Languages Scholarship from the US State Department to study Russian in Vladimir, Russia this summer.

The College of Charleston’s MBA program was ranked no. 1 in the nation for job placement by the US News & World Report, and the College’s networks with Mercedes-Benz Vans and the other 160+ German companies in the state of South Carolina (totaling 32,000 direct jobs in SC) have a good deal to do with this success. Our networks with German industry are also a tremendous benefit to undergraduates who are studying Business, Communications, and STEM fields combined with German.CofC’s MBA No. 1 ranking for job placement (with quotes from Mercedes-Benz CEO Michael Balke)

Congratulations to graduating German minor and Hospitality and Tourism Major Brianna Mawra ’18, who was awarded the prestigious Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange for Young Professionals for 2018-19. The fellowship, whidch is funded by the German Bundestag and U.S. Department of State, annually provides 75 American and 75 German young professionals, between the ages of 18-24, the opportunity to spend one year in each other’s countries, studying, interning, and living with hosts on a cultural immersion program. Brianna is the 10th German major or minor to be awarded a CBYX fellowship since 2001.