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Carthage German major wins major scholarship

June 9, 2010

A Carthage German major has been awarded a scholarship from the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) to study in Germany.

Kim Likier, '12, from Downers Grove, Ill., has been awarded a prestigious DAAD Undergraduate Scholarship to allow her to conduct research during her upcoming semester in Berlin, Germany. Ms. Likier is a German major with minors in philosophy and creative writing.

During her semester at the Humboldt University in Berlin, she will examine the tension experienced by Turkish women living in the German capital while trying to maintain their Islamic faith. In her project proposal, Ms. Likier writes, "As author Leslie Adelson discusses in her book The Turkish Turn in Contemporary German Literature, storytelling is an important aspect of intercultural discussion and connection. It is in this vein of thought that I want to collect stories from the women I meet."

In addition to university coursework related to her project, Ms. Likier will interview Turkish women in conjunction with a group established to create a dialog between Muslim and non-Muslim women in Berlin. She plans to develop her work in Berlin into her senior thesis after she returns to Carthage.

Ms. Likier holds a German language scholarship (learn more about Carthage scholarships). Before enrolling at Carthage, she took part in the German American Partnership Program's exchange and spent two months in northern Germany. At Carthage, she participates in the poetry club, the Stand-up Comedy Club, and is a member of the improvisational comedy group on campus.

DAAD Undergraduate Scholarship are awarded by the German Academic Exchange Service and, according to Ulrich Grothus, DAAD Director in New York, were created "to support undergraduate U.S. and Canadian students interested in studying, doing research, or completing an internship in Germany." The DAAD hopes "to help these students reach their academic goals while building important and lasting bonds of friendship between our countries and introducing them to the benefits of the German higher education system." DAAD Scholars receive a monthly stipend of approximately € 650, plus additional funds to help defray travel and research expenses.

Two recent Carthage students, Philip Young, '07, and Jean Brody, '11, have received DAAD Undergraduate Scholarships. They both studied and did their research in Heidelberg.

"We in the Modern Language Department at Carthage are proud that another German major has won a DAAD scholarship,” said German professor Gregory Baer. “Successes like these are indicative of the German program's growth — both in terms of quantity and quality — in recent years. Kim Likier has worked hard to prepare her application and to ready herself academically for the challenges she will face while studying abroad. I am particularly glad that her project underlines the interdisciplinary nature of German Studies. Her exposure to the liberal arts at Carthage coupled with her concentrations in both modern languages and English have strengthened her candidacy for this prestigious national scholarship."