Coffee Connections

In this special episode of Coffee Connections, my conversations revolve around career advancement and the sense of belonging within one's professional journey. My fellow members of the 2023-24 Diversity Abroad Communities of Practice: Career Advancement and Belonging Claudio Castenada, Gabrielle Cascio, Emma Freese, Tiffany Komon, Sherene Awong, and Stephanie Ramin share their experiences and insights on how they entered the field, the steps they took to advance, and the importance of transferrable skills. They also talk about what they love about their work. Whether you're just starting out or looking to take the next step, this episode offers valuable advice and personal stories.

In today’s Coffee Connection I had the chance to speak with one of our dedicated Young Ambassadors, Paige Lyles, a Civil Engineer at UC Berkeley. Paige spent last summer as a research intern at the Hochschule München with DAAD RISE (Research Internship in Science and Engineering) focusing her research on 3D printing of concrete. Paige shares her experience as a RISE intern, how she found out about the program, what the application was like, and she shares some tips and best practices to successfully apply. Paige summarizes her experience: “whatever your experience is, you won’t regret it.” She says it will help you grow as a human for your next opportunities and the next chapter of your life. All content is created and edited by me, Hanni Geist. If you would like to get in touch, send an email to geist@daad.de.

A few weeks ago, I went to the Society for Women Engineers conference in Los Angeles to represent Research in Germany. One day RISE alumna and Industrial Engineer, Alaina Washington came to the booth and shared a bit about her experience at the Hamburg University of Technology. In this short episode Alaina’ describes the application process, and her work as an intern. She also shares more about her time outside the lab. Have a listen to hear her excitement about the time in Germany and her experience with DAAD Research Internship in Science and Engineering.

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 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 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.

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.

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/