Coffee Connections

Today’s Coffee Connection is another musical episode. I chatted with composer Philipp Kaspar, a DAAD alumnus and recent NYU graduate. Philipp is originally from Germany and now works in the music industry in New York. We chatted about his musical path and how New York played a big role in what he does today. My highlights of our conversation were hearing about the reading parties he plays at and learning about contemporary German music. If you are in New York, keep an eye out for Philipp’s performances. Relevant links https://open.spotify.com/artist/5hdlsna9Z2wKwBbYaWDR8d?si=fcr_l0anSrSkFequ1Ka8qQ https://hmc.chartmetric.com/deutschrap-german-hip-hop-rappers/ Philipp's projects: - @emonightbrooklyn - @gimmegimmedisco - @readingrhythms

In today’s Coffee Connection, I had the chance to speak with 3 of our 2023-24 Young Ambassadors. 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 invited the new Young Ambassadors for training in New York. I had the opportunity to sit down with 3 Young Ambassadors: Vicky, Hannah, and Grace. You can find their and the other YA’s info on our www.daad.org website. Check out our DAAD USA Instagram account where we regularly have student takeovers from our Young Ambassadors, and Gilman-DAAD and RISE alumni, who share their Germany experience.

In today’s Coffee Connection I had the chance to speak with one of our 2023-24 Young Ambassadors, Meg Takezawa, a chemistry major at the University of Washington, who participated in the DAAD RISE program. Meg shares her experience as a RISE intern, how she found out about the program, what the application was like, and shares some tips and best practices to apply successfully. She describes in detail her day-to-day experience in and outside the lab. One sentence stood out “the RISE internship changed my life!” You can find her and the other YA’s info on our www.daad.org website. Check out our DAAD USA Instagram account where we regularly have student takeovers from our Young Ambassadors, Gilman-DAAD and RISE alumni, who share their Germany experience. All content is created and edited by me, Hanni Geist. If you would like to get in touch, send an email to [email protected].

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 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

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.

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/