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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.

Today’s Coffee Connection is the second episode of a new format, 3 short interviews in one episode. Every year, DAAD selects students from the US and Canada to share their Germany experiences 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, Emily Hawkins, Ian Albreski, and Madison Schimizu. The answers each Young Ambassador gave were quite different, but they all had one thing in common: Their enthusiasm and love for Germany.

Today’s Coffee Connection is a new format, 3 short interviews in one episode. 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 invites the new Young Ambassadors for a training in New York. I had the opportunity to sit down with 3 Young Ambassadors, Anna Holle, Cameron Morgan, and Avalon Pernell. The answers each Young Ambassador gave were quite different, but they all had one thing in common: Their enthusiasm and love for Germany.

Today’s Coffee Connection is another musical episode. I chatted with Martina Barta, a current DAAD scholarship recipient, and Jazz Singer. Martina is originally from the Czech Republic and is now at the Manhattan School of Music where she pursues a master’s degree. We talked about her career path, her impressions of New York and her goals as an artist. Facebook: Artist profile: https://www.facebook.com/martinabarta.official Personal profile: https://www.facebook.com/martinabarta Instagram: martinabartamusic YouTube: Martina Barta https://youtube.com/user/MrsBartas

Today’s Coffee Connection is another musical episode. I chatted with Alexander Liebermann, a current DAAD scholarship recipient, and a German-French composer. Alexander is originally from Berlin and is now at the Manhattan School of Music where he pursues a doctoral degree. He shares three of his recent pieces that show his talent as a composer. You can find Alexander on Soundcloud, Youtube and Instagram.

To commemorate Yom HaShoah, or Holocaust Remembrance Day, I had the honor of speaking with Evelyn Lueker, a 3rd generation Holocaust survivor, about her family’s history and the important role her grandparents played in the Nuremberg trials. Now, Evelyn works as an international educator in the US where her personal story and professional career intersect. A disclaimer: We recorded this episode in 2020, so you will hear some references that are not as recent. The overall conversation though is as relevant today as it was then.

Today’s Coffee Connection is a musical episode. I chatted with Felicitas Schiffner, a current DAAD scholarship recipient, and a German violinist. Felicitas is originally from Luebeck and is now a Master’s student at the New England Conservatory in Boston. She shared her path from playing a tiny violin as a four-year-old to being accepted at Julliard to studying in Boston. Felicitas talks about her love of classical music, and she shares two of her beautiful performances.

Zachary Nanji is currently a Senior Honours International Development and Management Student at McGill University in Canada. Originally from the UK, he started learning German at Eaton College and visited Munich and Bonn via a school exchange that planted the seed for a 6-month stay at the Ludwig Maximilan University of Munich during the 2019 academic year. As a DAAD Young Ambassador, he shares his passion for international travel and offers insightful best practices to get the most out of an international university exchange. In 2021 he was nominated by DAAD to participate at the Diversity Abroad Global Student Leadership Summit where he got to reflect further on his experience and further develop skills related to global diversity, equity, and inclusion. You can find Zachary at https://www.linkedin.com/in/zacharynanji/

Today’s Coffee Connection is my DAAD colleague John Paul Kleiner who is responsible for our Canada office in Toronto and who is also a historian with a special interest in the GDR. John Paul is the creator of the blog GDR Objectified where he presents his collection of objects produced in, or related closely to, the German Democratic Republic (GDR)with the aim of providing a window into East German history in a historical and/or personal way. John Paul has a unique point of view as a Canadian historian who personally experienced Germany before, during and after the fall of the Wall. I was born in East Berlin and was only 7 years old when the Wall came down. In this episode we talk about our experiences with the GDR from our unique viewpoints . We talked about his blog, GDR movies, cultural artifacts and East Berlin architecture. Our conversation led to the Palace of the Republic, as an example of the challenges of reunification and how Ostalgie fits into the negotiation of the past and present. Links: DAAD Canada www.daad-canada.ca GDR Objectified blog https://gdrobjectified.wordpress.com/ Kanopy (free streaming through public library) https://www.kanopy.com/

Today’s Coffee Connection is Amy Lebanoff, DAAD RISE Germany and DAAD Young Ambassador Alumna. Amy participated in the DAAD RISE Germany program – a paid 10-12 week summer research internship program for undergraduate STEM students. In our conversation, she talks about her experience as a research intern at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and her activities outside of the lab. For interested applicants, Amy shares detailed information about the application procedure and what applicants can do to stand out in the selection process. You can connect with Amy via Amylebanoff@gmail.com.

Today’s Coffee Connection is Tony Jackson, German Master’s Graduate and Voice-Over Artist from Arizona. Tony shared his strategies for engaging with German, Germans, and German culture from the US. For Tony, his German experience was limited to immersion at home, because as a student with a disability, he was faced with challenges that prevented him from studying abroad. Despite that, he completed a Master’s degree in German and worked as a teaching assistant. We discussed whether you can be an authentic language teacher when you’ve never actually spent time in the country where the target language is spoken. Finally, I asked Tony how to approach someone with a visible disability. Visit Tony's website for more information at www.tonyjacksonvo.com.

Today’s Coffee Connection is Peter Rosenbaum, Executive Director of the University Alliance Ruhr office in New York. In our conversation, Peter shares some insight into his work and the Ruhr region he represents as the Executive Director of the University Alliance Ruhr. We both grew up in the GDR, so I asked Peter about his childhood memories and how he reflects on the divided and now unified Germany. And finally, Peter has a few travel suggestions: Jena, Unna and Rügen, and also Scotland as a great place to visit in Europe. I yet have to contributed to the travel suggestions: this week I recommend the Spreewald, around the world most notably known for its pickles, but the region itself is worth a visit. University Alliance Ruhr online: http://northamerica.uaruhr.de/. You can reach out to Peter via peter.rosenbaum@uaruhr.de.

Today’s Coffee Connection is Carol Anne Costabile-Heming who is one of our most dedicated long-term Research Ambassadors. She is a Professor of German at the University of North Texas, Denton. I had the opportunity to chat with Carol Anne about her path from focusing her studies on Chemistry to graduating with a PhD in German. Carol Anne spent time in Germany and specifically Berlin in 1990 and she shares her unique experience during these tumultuous times. Some of her experiences are reminiscent of the movie Good Bye, Lenin! (7:40 - 22:00) As a Research Ambassador she has a lot of experience advising researchers and students on funding applications – during our conversation she shares valuable tips for success. (25:30 - 34:30) This week’s travel suggestions are Leipzig and Marbach.

Today’s Coffee Connection is another music episode – this time I chatted with Lukas Akintaya, a German-Nigerian Jazz drummer and composer. Between 2018 and 2020, Lukas studied as a DAAD scholar at New York University (NYU). In our conversation, Lukas shared his path to pursuing a professional career as a jazz composer and percussionist, and he compared his experience as a musician in Berlin with his most recent one in New York. We also talked about the unique challenges as a jazz musician and Lukas shared how to best support young emerging artists. You can find out more about Lukas and his music at Lukasakintaya.com as well as www.holontrio.com. A great platform for supporting indie artists is www.bandcamp.com.

Today’s Coffee Connection is Sandra Navidi, University of Cologne Alumna, international attorney, bestselling author, consultant, media contributor and public speaker. She is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of BeyondGlobal, an international strategic consultancy. Hanni chats with Sandra about her best-selling book $uperhubs, networks and networking – so important, but dreaded by so many, including Hanni. Sandra also provided some insight on working in an international environment, how to navigate uncomfortable situations and she shared her experience as a women in a male dominated environment. You can find more about Sandra and her work at www.beyond-global.com.

Today’s episode highlights the perspective of a student with disabilities studying abroad in Germany. Transcript for this episode available at http://bit.ly/daad-podcast. My Coffee Connection is Michelle She, CBYX High School Program Alumna, Teacher of students with visual impairments, and disabilities advocate. For more information for students with disabilities wishing to go abroad, visit www.miusa.org.

Today’s episode highlights include • How to strategically plan for an international career • German and US Work culture • Why Cologne is a great city, especially for students and during Carneval • Not to miss: Germany during a soccer championship

Today’s episode is a highlight in itself. Today’s Coffee Connection is Maxine Troglauer, DAAD Music Scholarship recipient, Bass Trombonist and Master’s student at the Manhattan School of Music. In our conversation, Maxine shared how she became first interest in the Trombone, we talked about her experience as a musician, the history of the Trombone, and different career opportunities. We also talked about being a women in a male dominated space, trends in classical music and how the current pandemic affects musicians. Find out more about Maxine at www.maxinetroglauer.net.

Today’s episode highlights include: • Working for the University Heidelberg Association at the German House in New York • First-generation student study abroad experience and tips for success • Using the abroad experience for your career advancement • This week’s travel suggestions are Heidelberg and Norderney. Plus, find out what happens during a box factor tour. Today’s Coffee Connection is Amanda Rohm Daquila, who is the Executive Director of Heidelberg University Association. You can get in touch with Amanda via adaquila@heidelberguniversity.org.

Today’s episode focuses on German language learning and teaching - highlights include: • Learning German: fluency, cultural competency, confidence and accents • Support for students with learning disabilities • Raising a bilingual child • Child care and parental leave in Germany vs. the US • And this week’s travel suggestion is visiting Iserlohn and attending a hockey game