Coffee Connections

After a hiatus from recording and editing, I’m back with an interview with Lili Zeng, a Canadian physicist, recent PhD graduate from McGill University, and author of the debut novel Dear Haider. Lili reflects on how her 2011 DAAD RISE Germany internship introduced her to research, shaped her academic journey, and inspired the setting for her novel. We discuss the value of exploring different caree...

Celebrating 50 episodes of Coffee Connections! For nearly five years, I’ve shared stories from people building bridges between the U.S. and Germany, many supported through DAAD funding. For this milestone — and DAAD’s 100-year anniversary — I spoke with filmmaker Su Friedrich, granddaughter of Carl Joachim Friedrich, one of DAAD’s founders. In a beautiful twist, Su had no idea her grandfather help...

In this episode, I speak with Aarish Lakhani, DAAD RISE professional alumnus. RISE professional offers summer research internships in Germany to master's and PhD students at companies in non-university research institutions with strong relations to industry. Aarish is a mechanical engineering graduate from the University of Illinois, and he participated in the program last year. Aarish shares his...

In this episode, I spoke with Diplomat Oliver Schramm, Consulate General of Germany San Francisco, from 2021 - 2025. Have a listen!

Check the podcast page on daad.org for a transcript of this episode. In this episode, I talk to representatives from 10 German universities, as well as a representative of the alliance of 9 Technical Universities in Germany. We discussed the attractiveness of German universities for international students, highlighting the quality, affordability, and diversity of educational opportunities. Each re...

Today’s Coffee Connection is another musical episode. I chatted with Ngoc Vu, DAAD Music Scholarship Alumnus. He has won several national and international piano competitions over the years. Ngoc debuted in Semperoper Hall in Dresden when he turned 15, and he played at Carnegie Hall during the annual DAAD Sound Understanding Concert. Ngoc is originally from Dresden, Germany. What started as a mere...

Find the transcript on DAAD.org - Podcast Since 1925, DAAD has supported around three million students and academics from Germany, Europe, and worldwide. In this episode, I feature Henry Thompson, an associate professor of Political Science at Arizona State University who received DAAD not once, but four times. Henry received a Semester Scholarship, followed by 2 Graduate Scholarships and a Summer...

--- Transcript at www.daad.org/en/about-us/who-we-are/podcast/ --- This episode features Russell Berman, a DAAD alumnus, shared his experiences of receiving DAAD funding twice: a post-BA year in Munich in 1972 and a dissertation fellowship from 1977 to 1979. These scholarships significantly influenced his career, steering him towards German Studies. His dissertation focused on literary criticism i...

This week: I spoke with 3 RISE alumnae who share their experiences and best practices on how to apply. I spoke with: Elizabeth: interned at Munich University of Applied Sciences and researched on 3-d printing with concrete project Nandana: interned at the Hochschule Kaiserslautern and worked on an advanced usability and gamification project And Lauryn went to Freiberg and studied iron oxide cataly...

In this episode, I share 11 more interviews from the NAFSA conference in May for my special project as part of the 2023-24 Diversity Abroad Communities of Practice: Career Advancement and Belonging. My conversations revolve around career advancement and the sense of belonging within one's professional journey. A big thank you to my interviewees for sharing their stories during a very busy conferen...

In this special episode of Coffee Connections, my conversations revolve around career advancement and the sense of belonging within one's professional journey. Thanks to Peter Kerrigan, Andreas Mai, Katja Simons, Nicole Saverschek and Stephen Sechrist, who share their experiences, and insights on how they entered the field, the steps they took to advance, and the importance of transferrable skills...

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 insi...

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 l...

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...

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...

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 he...

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 de...

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 Albres...

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...

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.faceboo...

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 In...

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...

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...

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 hi...