Germanic Languages and Literatures Celebrates 2026 Graduates!

Graduates, families, friends, faculty, and staff gathered in the Michigan League Ballroom for a lively celebration of language, culture, scholarship, and community as the Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures honored its 2026 graduates. With a graduate slideshow and classical music setting the tone, the reception offered a warm and festive space to recognize the accomplishments of students in German, Dutch, and Scandinavian Studies and to celebrate the many paths their studies had opened.

The ceremony was opened by Kerstin Barndt, Department Chair, who welcomed guests and offered remarks on behalf of the department. Barndt guided the audience through a program that highlighted undergraduate achievement, graduate teaching, honors research, and advanced study.

The first part of the ceremony focused on departmental awards. Mary Rodena-Krasan, Lecturer IV and Undergraduate Advisor, and Kalli Federhofer, Allen P. Cottrell Collegiate Lecturer and Undergraduate Advisor, helped present the department’s undergraduate honors. The Kothe Hildner Prize for Community Outreach and Engagement recognized graduating students whose work reflected a strong commitment to outreach, service, and engagement beyond the classroom. The 2026 recipients were Haley Gipson, Arthi Narayanan, Mori Rothhorn, and Hayden Williams.

Rodena-Krasan and Federhofer also recognized recipients of the Kothe Hildner Prize for Student Achievement. Established by the faculty in Germanic Languages and Literatures, the Student Achievement Awards for Majors and Minors were presented to graduating German majors and Scandinavian and Dutch minors who had been nominated by faculty for exceptional dedication and success in the study of German, Dutch, or Swedish. Honorees in German Studies included Marissa Ewald, Anton Ferguson, Elise Kemp, and Maximilian Schenke. Lillian Reed-Nordwall was recognized in Scandinavian Studies, and Claire Schafer was recognized in Dutch Studies.

The department also celebrated excellence in teaching. Hartmut Rastalsky, Marilyn Sibley Fries Collegiate Lecturer and Director of the German Language Program, presented the Frank X. Braun Graduate Student Instructor Award to Laura Stahl. Named in honor of the late Professor Frank X. Braun, a dedicated teacher in the department for many years, the award recognized the important contributions of PhD students to the undergraduate German language curriculum. The program continued with recognition of students completing minors. Annemarie Toebosch, Teaching Professor and Director of Dutch Studies, along with Denice Gravenstijn, Lecturer I, recognized the Dutch minors. German minors were then recognized by an undergraduate advisor, with graduates crossing the stage as “Pomp and Circumstance” played and receiving blue folders from Chair Barndt.

German Honors students were celebrated by Silke-Maria Weineck, Associate Chair and Grace Lee Boggs Collegiate Professor of Comparative Literature and German Studies, who spoke about their thesis work and presented the Martin Haller Prize. German majors were then recognized in a formal procession led by an undergraduate advisor.

The ceremony concluded with graduate student recognition by Andreas Gailus, Professor in German Studies and Director of Graduate Studies. Honorees included Onyx C., Elizabeth Sokol, and Veronica Williamson for the PhD; Valentin Lewisch for the MA; and Lena Grimm and Sarah Wheat for Graduate Certificates.

Following Barndt’s closing remarks, the formal program gave way to conversation, photographs, laughter, and congratulations as the slideshow and music resumed. The afternoon closed not only as a farewell, but as a beginning: a moment to honor the words studied, the cultures encountered, the questions pursued, and the friendships formed along the way.