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In 20 words or less, what is the best thing about being part of this department?
The opportunities to understand the county I live in at a deeper level are abundant.

What is your advice to first years and sophomores about getting connected to this department?
Attend events, and get engaged with them. It’s ok to not ask questions, sitting and listening attentively is preferable to not showing in the first place. From fun events to the annual American speaker event, people have put a lot of effort into making it enjoyable for everyone attending who displayed an interest in the event or field.

What is the most valuable thing you’ve learned at K?
Asking questions and being okay with not knowing the answers. Let your curiosity get the better of you, ask questions about everything. There are no dumb questions, and I personally would prefer to further my own understanding and explore my interests as best I can.

What has been your favorite class at K?
Historical Research Methods has had to have been one of my favorite classes at K. Learning historiography and how the scholarship of History has changed over time, along with the values or importance stressed with each perspective, has been extremely insightful and is something I found to be super enjoyable to study.

How have you taken advantage of the open curriculum or experienced breadth in your education?
While other classes may not align with where I want to study, it does offer me new perspectives when looking at the same historical problems. For example, looking at Ancient China or Astronomy may not align with German Americans, but it does illustrate different perspectives and asks different questions I can apply to a German American context.

What experiential education opportunities have you participated in?
Waging Dialogue internship, Civic Corps Member and Mentor, History Club member.

What is your SIP?
German American identity formation in Milwaukee around the 1880s.

What are your career aspirations/next steps after K?
After working to earn some money for living I intend to go to graduate school. My dream career is to be a history professor at a community college.

What is a random fun fact about you?
I am a triplet, the oldest born by one minute.