Lauren Cipollone ’08, a German major from East Burke, Vermont, has been selected to participate in a weeklong summer seminar–the Graduate School Experience–at the University of Minnesota for academically outstanding students considering graduate work in German studies.

May 9, 2007

Lauren Cipollone '08, a German major from East Burke, Vermont, has been selected to participate in a weeklong summer seminar--the Graduate School Experience (GSE)--at the University of Minnesota for academically outstanding students considering graduate work in German studies. Only fifteen students were selected nationwide.

Cipollone has been studying German since high school when she lived with a host family in Stuttgart, Germany. She has completed three years of German at Wheaton, and spent her junior year abroad at Freie Universität and the University of Regensburg in Germany.

"My year abroad has been amazing and helpful," she said. "There is nothing better for learning a language than going right to the source. I have absolutely loved living in Germany."

The GSE program is hosted by the German department at the University of Minnesota, along with the DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) and the Max Kade Foundation. Students will attend seminars on German culture as well as receive individual advising about graduate school options.

Reinhard Mayer, visiting associate professor of German, recommended Cipollone for the program and said her acceptance "is a great honor, which rewards her excellent academic achievements."

Cipollone plans on using her German skills to teach or write, and hopes this summer program will help further clarify her goals. "I look forward to learning more about what studying at the graduate school level will be like so I can continue my education of the German language and culture," she said.