Goshen College no longer has a German major, but it has a German club.
New German students on campus brought a fresh idea to the Goshen College community: establishing a German Club. Leah Moreno, a senior from Texas, is the student leader of this club; Paul Keim is the head professor.“I was asked to be faculty sponsor of the German Club by a former student,” Keim said. “Since we lost our German courses we have been looking for ways to promote German language and culture on campus.”
Moreno noticed many students on campus talking about creating a German club and decided to take the lead in establishing one.
“There are a lot of German-speaking students on campus. This is just one step towards bonding people together who have the same interest in another culture that is not already offered on campus,” Moreno said.
Jan Zawadzki, a freshman from Germany, arrived at Goshen College five weeks ago. After his junior year in high school, he wanted to see more of the world and applied at Goshen College.
Zawadzki came to this country without knowing anyone. “I miss my friends and my everyday routine,” Zawadski said. The club could help. “I am pretty sure it could help me get that German feeling back. I always love to talk to people in German and I definitely think it would help me feel closer to my home,” he said.
In the club, “I would like to see some parts of the German culture. Introduction to Germany, some facts about the country and maybe some general vocabulary,” Zawadzki said.
The club had its first meeting on Oct. 6. Sessions are twice a month, one consisting of language learning, and the other one of movie nights and field trips. All who have some basic German-speaking skills or who are interested in the language and culture are invited to this club, Keim said.
Zawadzki is eager to have a fun time meeting new people and sharing interesting stories. “I am glad the German Club exists and hope that many people are going to share their time with us,” Zawadski said.
Moreno is hoping to pass the club down to another student after this year. She wants to see the German club grow over time. “Hopefully, it will continue to build relationships and bond people together,” Moreno said.
