The German Program awards the following each year:

German Best Essay -

This is to award students for excellent writing in German. We will be awarding one (1) $250 Award to a German Major or minor who is either continuing or graduating. There is no specific length. You must submit a paper that was written for a previously taken German course and is in German.

Submit Essays to:
German Program
Attn: Essay Award
243 Humanities Instructional Building
Irvine, CA 92697

Four (4) copies due: Monday, May 21, 2018 By: 4:00 pm

For more information please contact Megan Schleh by phone at (949) 824-2291 and by email at mschleh@uci.edu

Mirasol Travel Award to Germany -

Alumna Kendra Leindecker Mirasol (B.A., UCI German, 1988, and MBA, University of Chicago, 1993) continues to share her generosity by making a gift to the Department to fund the Mirasol Travel Award to Germany for undergraduate students.

Four (4) copies of your application are due: Monday, May 21, 2018 By: 4:00 pm

Submit applications to:
German Program
Attn: Megan Schleh,
Mirasol Travel Award
243 Humanities Instructional Building
Irvine, CA 92697

For more information please contact Megan Schleh by phone at (949) 824-2291 and by email at mschleh@uci.edu

This award is sponsored by a generous donation from German B.A. alumna Kendra Leindecker Mirasol

INTERVIEW WITH ALUMNA & DONOR KENDRA LEINDECKER MIRASOL

When did you start giving to the UCI German Department and why?

I began donating funds to the German Department in 2000, twelve years after having received my B.A. in German literature. Scholarships have been an integral component of my own education, because I come from a modest background and was the first member of my family to attend college. Without support from work and scholarships, I would not have been able to complete my degrees and would surely be leading a very sheltered life! Has anyone ever asked you, "So, what are you going to do with a German literature degree...teach?" Yes, a million times! And the answer each time was, "No!" While I had briefly considered a teaching profession, I felt my personality and skills were more suited to international business. It wasn't until my junior year, when one of my closest college friends was perceptive enough to see I had a love and talent for languages, but was studying economics for "practical" reasons. He quickly convinced me to do something I love, and assured me that success would follow. That day, I turned in a drop slip for an advanced Econ course and changed my major to German literature.

What makes your gift unique?

It is important for me to support students in their ability to broaden their perspectives by traveling outside the US. As an undergraduate, I had spent two summers abroad working and had subsequently been sponsored by The German American Chamber of Commerce to work abroad as a young professional. These experiences changed my lens of the world dramatically. The professors in the German Department agreed that allocating funds specifically for travel would help students bridge the economic gap that may hold them back from going abroad. I am confident this gift has an immediate and significant impact, and I often receive letters from recipients revealing their experiences.

What are you doing now?

I am currently Senior Vice President for IOR Global Services, an intercultural consulting company that helps clients develop their employees to operate effectively in the global marketplace. I run the business and am responsible for the strategic and financial growth of the company. IOR is a premier provider of global talent management, cultural training, language instruction and destination services.

The German department is extremely grateful to Kendra for her continued support.


WINNERS OF THE GERMAN ESSAY AWARD

2014-15 - Awardee Announcement
  • Fardin Nawabi: A major in German Studies and History.
2013-14- NOT AWARDED

2012-13- NOT AWARDED


RECIPIENTS OF THE MIRASOL TRAVEL AWARD (PREVIOUSLY LEINDECKER TRAVEL AWARD) TO GERMANY

2015-16Awardee Announcement
  • Jacqueline Ornelas: A major in Art History. She has been accepted to study abroad in Berlin at the Free University for Summer 2015.
2014-15Awardee Announcement
  • Olivia Schuetz: A major in European Studies and minoring in Management. She has been accepted to study abroad in Berlin at the Free University for Fall 2014.
2013-14Awardee Announcement
  • Benjamin Nguyen: International Studies Major and Conflict Management minor. He plans to attend a semester at Free University Berlin
  • Ivo Saric: German Studies Major. He plans to attend The Deutsche Sommerschule am Pazifik organized by Portland State University.
  • Hunter Orloff: Art History Major. He plans to attend DeutschAkademie, Berlin-Mitte School of German Language for one year before beginning his Master's Program at the Freie Universität Berlin.
2012-13 - Awardee Announcement
  • Isabel Gutierrez: English major - UCEAP program at Humboldt, Technical Universities in the 2012-2013 school year.
  • Antonio Esparza: Political Science and Psychology major - UC-EAP program at The Free University in Berlin in the Spring 2013.
  • Amanda Martin: Comparative Literature and German Studies major - UC-EAP program at The Free University in Berlin in Fall 2012.
2011-12
  • Jonathan Fuentes: Informatics major - academic year 2011-12 EAP student.
  • Marissa Guyton: Global Cultures major - fall semester at the Freie Universität Berlin BEST program.
  • Rocio la Rosa: International Studies major - fall semester 2011 IES Metropolitan Studies program in Berlin.
2010-11
  • Amanda Carrillo: German Studies major – academic year 2010-11 at Humboldt University Immersion Brogram in Berlin, Germany.
  • Isabelle Gerbatsch: Biological Sciences major - fall semester EAP student at the Technical Univeristy of Berlin, German
  • Edelmira Hernandez: Psychology and Social Behavior major - summer UCLA travel study program in German Studies: vienna, Munich, Berlin: German Culture Across Europe
  • Ruth Liao: Psychology and Social Behavior major - academic year 2010-11 at Humboldt University Immersion Program in Berlin, Germany
2009-10
  • Grace Cong-Xin Wong: Humanities and Arts major—academic year 2009-10 on UC EAP at Freie Universität Berlin
  • Emily Kuhlmann: Art History major—fall semester on the FU Best program at the Freie Universität Berlin
  • Amber Myers: International Studies major—fall semester on the FU Best program at the Freie Universität Berlin
2008-09
  • Joanne Buenaventura: Philosophy major—academic year 2008-09 on UC EAP at Georg-August Universität in Göttingen
  • Marie Ellis: Honors student majoring in English—academic year 2008-09 on UC EAP at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
  • Diana Fischer: German Studies major—academic year 2008-09 on UC EAP at Georg-August Universität in Göttingen
2007-08
  • Bradley Kahl: German Studies major—academic year 2006-07 on UC EAP at the Freie Universität Berlin
2006-07
  • Glenn Ellington: Music major—University of Miami School of Music summer program in Salzburg
  • Ornanong Maneerattana: Criminology, Law and Society major—summer trip to Hamburg for language course and then service as an unpaid intern at an NGO, part of Amnesty for Women, assisting women migrants with German immigration law and their rights
  • Anne Nakamura: International Studies and Political Science major—fall semester studying in the European Studies Program at the Freie Univerität Berlin (FU-BEST)
  • Tiffany Wu: Political Science and History major— fall semester studying in the European Studies Program at the Freie Univerität Berlin (FU-BEST)
2005-06
  • Elizabeth Donnelly: International Studies major—spring semester on UC EAP at Georg-August Universität in Göttingen
  • Kai Moriyama: German Studies major—academic year 2005-06 on UC EAP at Georg-August Universität in Göttingen
  • Patrick Reagan: Film and Media Studies major—fall semester on UC EAP at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
2004-05
  • Philip Menges: Criminology, Law and Society major and German minor—academic year 2004-05 on UC EAP at Georg-August Universität in Göttingen
  • Alexander Phillips: German Studies major—academic year 2004-05 on UC EAP at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
  • Kelly Savin: International Studies major—fall semester on UC EAP at Georg-August Universität in Göttingen
2003-04
  • Quan Tran: Comparative Literature and Asian American Studies major—trip to German cities of Berlin, Nuremberg and Dresden to do research on project on second-generation Vietnamese German immigrants
2002-03
  • Edith Ho: French, German Studies and European Studies major—Columbia University visiting student academic year 2002-03 to attend the Sorbonne in Paris fall semester and Freie Univerität Berlin spring semester
  • Keith Mueller: German Studies major—summer cultural and linguistic trip to Berlin, Germany
2001-02
  • Priscilla Palacios: German Studies major—academic year 2001-02 on UC EAP at Georg-August Universität in Göttingen
  • Clay Wilkinson: English and Mathematics major—summer trip to Germany to do research for Humanities Honors thesis at the Nietzsche archives in Weimar and at the Universität Basel