Laura Maricque Barlament, class of 1993

"I spent part of my growing-up years in Germany, attending second through fifth grades at a German elementary school near Frankfurt. (My father's civil service job took us there.) Obviously, I became fluent at that time. But when I came to Agnes Scott, I had not spoken German for seven years. I knew, however, that I wanted to major in a foreign language. Providentially, Prof.Wieshofer was my first-year advisor, which meant that the language would be German!

Intent on studying abroad, yet not wanting to short thrift my second major (English), I decided to spend the spring semester of my sophomore year at the University of Mainz at Germersheim, which was the university with which Anes Scott had an exchange relationship at the time. The experience was most valuable for teaching me about how the German university system worked and really restoring my fluency in German. I especially enjoyed taking translation classes, a specialty of that particular college. I became fast friends with a student who had spent the previous fall smester at Agnes Scott; she and I remained faithful friends and correspondents.

Nearing the end of my years at ASC, I knew that I absolutely wanted to go back to Germany. I applied for and received a Fulbright grant to study for a year at the University of Konstanz, a jewel of a place on the Swiss border. My previous semester abroad had prepared me well for this year, which I enjoyed thoroughly. I took classes in German and Comparative Literature, including advanced seminars, earned Scheine, wrote papers, and gave presentations. I made wonderful friends, both Germans and other international students. I travelled around the area of Germany and Switzerland, and took longer trips to Berlin and even to Russia.

Now I have completed a PH.D. in English literature, with a certificate in comparative literature, at Emory University. My dissertaion deals with the response to Richard Wagners' music drama Tristan und Isolde, focusing on the fiction of Thomas Mann, Kate Chopin, and Willa Cather. Thanks to a DAAD grant, I spent another six months in Germany in 1998, doing dissertation research at the university of Heidelberg and taking part in as many Wagner performances as possible. Throughout this process, I have continued to build my knowledge and love for German literature and music. My current job doesn't involve German; I am an editor at Purdue University. But I know that the German language and nation will remain a permanent part of my life and aspirations."