Campus Connection

CLS alum in Germany on a Fulbright scholarship

Language is the first of many steps in building strong human-to-human connections and breaking down cultural barriers. That’s something Erik Reitan, ’15, learned as an undergraduate. It’s something he put in practice in August through a Fulbright scholarship to teach English as a second language in Germany. Reitan is teaching in Mainz, Germany during 2016-17. He also plans to find an immigration-related internship in the country. The Fulbright Program is the U.S. government’s flagship international educational exchange program. Recipients are selected on academic and professional achievement, as well as service and leadership. The program aims to increase mutual understanding between U.S. citizens and others. Understanding between cultures is something Reitan experienced first-hand while studying abroad. He refers to the experience at Goethe University in Frankfurt, Germany, during his junior year as the “cornerstone of my UWL experience.” He saw how language was an important gateway to knowing a country and its people. “Being able to speak German opened up a lot of doors for me that were not as accessible to other students,” he says. For one, he was able to build meaningful relationships with people from other cultures to understand not only an inside joke, but also challenges they faced. For example, some friends of his from Turkey and Mexico that he met while studying abroad who were the perfect candidates for positions at U.S. companies or completely qualified to attend U.S. schools were turned away because of passport limitations. It was frustrating for Reitan to see people working so hard to improve their futures have to return to unproductive or unsafe living conditions in their own countries. That led to Reitan’s interest in immigration. Reitan came to UWL in part because of the strong academic program in international studies. He benefited from not only the classes, but also great mentors like Assistant Professor of Modern Languages Audie Olson, who was an inspiration and resource. Olson says students like Reitan are the reason he teaches. “Those who study abroad are changed in significant ways for life,” says Olson. “It’s gratifying to play a small part in helping them get there.”