Andrew Thomas '13
"When I was in Germany for the first time in 2007, I had such an amazing time," he says. "That was when I decided to devote the rest of my life to learning German." He's now spent five summers in Berlin, a semester in Münster, and returned to Germany this August as one of only 75 American students participating in the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange for Young Professionals program.
Thomas chose to double major in German and business administration, concentrating in international business, at Richmond, which, as he puts it, "was the best of both worlds." He had the opportunity to develop business acumen in courses like Patti Carey's business communication, and delved deeper into German language and history through Kathrin Bower's Representing the Holocaust course, which focused on the portrayal of the Holocaust in television and movies.
Bower's course also inspired Thomas' senior thesis. He examined the German company DeGrussa, which made gas for the gas chambers and was still in operation until a few years ago. "My research focuses specifically on a memorial in Berlin dedicated to the murdered Jews in Europe," he says. "DeGrussa made gas during the Holocaust and also made the graffiti coating for the memorial. I'm discussing if they should have submitted a bid for the project, and whether there should be moral implications for a company that has committed so many atrocious acts."
Prior to his thesis project, Thomas spent the spring semester of his junior year studying abroad at Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, a University partner institution in the western region of Germany. In addition to taking business and German language classes, he had the opportunityto intern with a government agency that encourages investment in the country."I worked in their renewable energy department, so if a company from outside of Germany wanted to come in and build solar plants or a wind turbine factory, they would work with us," he says. "I got to learn and apply a lot of my knowledge of Germany to create presentations that would sell the industry, and sell the country to prospects."
Thomas' experiences at Richmond will serve him well as he embarks on the Congress-Bundestag program. Founded in 1983 by the U.S. Congress and the German Bundestag to expand relations between the two countries, the young professionals fellowship exchanges 75 American and German graduates who intend to work in business, engineering, agricultural, technical, or vocational fields.
Thomas will be placed in one location for two months of language training in the fall, then move on to a new city where he will spend two months taking international business courses before beginning a six-month internship. The process is a bit of an adventure, as he doesn't know where he'll be placed for his language training or business classes, what his living arrangements will be, or what type of work he will do, but it's an adventure he is ready for, as he continues his decade-long exploration of Germany. "I'm excited to be stepping out of my comfort zone," he says. "I could be in a new city, and in a part of the country I haven't experienced before."