I graduated from Austin College in 2015 with majors in German and Political Science and a minor in Environmental Studies. In addition to providing me with a number of fantastic opportunities to travel, explore a different culture, and broaden my horizons, studying German at Austin College helped me cultivate an important set of useful skills. The patience it takes to learn new vocabulary and grammar rules, the courage to make and learn from mistakes, and the persistence necessary to develop and maintain a level of competency in a new language all have valuable broader applications. The skills I developed at Austin College helped me earn an English Teaching Fulbright scholarship after graduation. I spent ten months in northern Germany at the Europaschule Rövershagen supporting the local teachers in preparing and conducting English lessons for students in the 5th through 12th grades. Now that I am back in the United States, I have just started a year of AmeriCorps service with the Refugee Services department of Catholic Charities in San Antonio. In this new position I draw on both the skills I developed learning German and my own experiences living in and adapting to a new and foreign culture to better serve the refugee populations with whom I work. Studying German opened up a number of exciting possibilities for me and helped me hone the tools necessary to overcome a variety of academic and career-related challenges.