Student Voices

Anna Treudt, '13

Meet Anna

"All the professors in both the Classics and Modern Language Departments are wonderful and knowledgeable and their primary goal is that the student learns."

Hometown: West Chicago, Ill.

Majors: German and Classics with an emphasis in Archeology

Anna Treudt, '13, realized that German was one of her strongest subjects during high school. The spring of her senior year, she participated in Carthage's Modern Language German Scholarship competition. A few months later, she was informed that she had received the scholarship, and she was officially committed to the school.

"I knew I could do well with German and was excited about the program and the wonderful professors I had met at the competition," said Anna. "My other major, archaeology, was picked because of my love for classical history."

Anna's family is involved in archaeology and geology, so she felt that she had a decent background in the subject coming into the Carthage program when she decided to add it as a major her sophomore year.

"My majors allow me to explore both archaeology and German even more in depth because they go hand in hand," she explained. "There is so much history and so many digs going on in Germany at the moment, and just being able to speak the language is infinitely helpful. Ideally I would like to study German archaeology history and learn more about the country's history. Hopefully that semester abroad experience will help me formulate a thesis and potentially grad work."

As a junior, Anna is starting to think about her thesis and internship possibilities. She believes that the Carthage Classics and Modern Languages faculty have been indispensable in this respect.

"It in unbelievably helpful to have a professor help you with and idea for a thesis or to have them recommend you for an internship," said Anna. "All the professors in both the Classics and Modern Language departments are wonderful and knowledgeable, and their primary goal is that the student learns."

Anna is planning on spending her semester abroad in spring 2012. She is hoping that she will be able to explore archaeological opportunities while in Germany.

Favorite professor: "Professor Greg Baer, German. He is one of the coolest professors on campus, both as a teacher and mentor. Not only does he teach German, but he also teaches students how to learn. Some of his classes have been the most fun and have even been beneficial for other classes that were not my German major."

Toughest class: "My Writing Intensive German 309 class. I have never learned so much about Germany in one sitting, but the assignments could be very time consuming and difficult. However, I'm very glad I took this class because it improved my German writing skills, taught me a lot about Germany history and gave me ideas for a potential thesis. You just have to stick it out with a class like this but it's worth it in the end."

Favorite moments at Carthage: "Most of them have been with my friends: 5 Dollar Prom, DU events, hanging out, walking the beach. I love to run, so running down by the lake is fantastic."

Favorite spot on campus: "The beach and basement of Einstein's so I can get all my homework done."

Biggest surprise so far: "Changing my major from my freshman year, but finding something that I loved."

Advice for other students considering your major: "Be confident in your language skills. Don't be concerned about making mistakes during a language interview or talking with a professor. Being good at a language is one thing, but knowing how to improve yourself and get better at it is what will show that you are a good student. Both in German and archaeology the willingness to learn is what separates you from the others. That might sound uninteresting and a little daunting, but when you find something you like, you enjoy it."

— Elizabeth Reinhardt, '12

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Diane Hahn, '14

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Anna Treudt, '13

"Both in German and archaeology the willingness to learn is what separates you from the others. That might sound uninteresting and a little daunting, but when you find something you like, you enjoy it."
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Karin Wirth, '13

Karin Wirth was raised with a rich German Heritage, which led to her love of the language. She is also a DAAD scholarship winner and a tutor for the Modern Languages department.
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David Rosenberg, '12

"The openness of the professors and their willingness to help struggling students" are among the Modern Language Department's biggest strengths.
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Ronald Harris, '12

Ronald is pursuing a minor in German, after studying the language since kindergarten.
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Jennifer Weiss, '14

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Elizabeth Reinhardt, '12

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Andrea Winbigler, '13

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Read student voices from graduated students.