Meet our new Peer Mentors!

Rebeca Calderon

"Hello! My name is Rebeca, and I am a junior studying Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology along with German. I am looking to go to dental school post-grad! I am from Northville, Michigan and I started taking German in middle school (though I didn't really learn much until high school :). Deciding to take German in 6th grade is one of the best decisions I have made because of the opportunities it has made possible. With that, I am very passionate about learning German and the opportunities that the German Department has to offer for U of M students. I have taken a few German courses at U of M, helped out with Schriftlich, lived in the Max Kade residence, taken German intensive courses at Freiburg, Germany through the Goethe-Institute, and studied at Universität Tübingen for a Sommersemester! I know I had many questions before deciding to do any of the previously mentioned, so please, please feel free to reach out if you have any questions or are looking for some guidance! In addition to all the German-related activities, I am involved with Michigan Catholics, Fleece and Thank you, USNDA, and I work in a research lab in the MCDB Department. I am happy to talk about any of these as well! "

Julia Gerdes

"Hi! My name is Julia, and I'm a junior studying Environmental Engineering. My hometown is Rochester, MI, and I grew up as a native German speaker, speaking the language with my parents and brother at home. I decided to pursue a German minor to maintain my speaking and writing skills outside of my family. On campus, I am an e-Board member for the German Club, and this past summer, I had the opportunity to complete an internship in Vienna through IES Abroad. 
Outside of my studies, I am also a part of TAP (a professional sustainability fraternity), and I enjoy baking, reading, going on runs, and exploring new places around me! I'm happy to answer any questions pertaining to German minor tracks, balancing engineering with a LSA minor, finding an internship abroad, or anything else that comes to mind!"

Peter Gottschalk

"Hi, my name’s Peter and I’m a senior at Michigan majoring in Business and minoring in German. I started learning German at the 101 level during my freshman fall semester, and fell in love with it after my first class! Since then, I’ve taken classes at the 100, 200, and 300 level and will continue with German to finish my minor this year. I’ve also studied abroad in Berlin my junior winter semester through a Ross Semester Exchange program and took a 2 week intensive German course at the B2.2 level through Goethe Institut’s Berlin location. I would love to help out with any questions you have about taking German at Michigan, building German skills outside the classroom, studying abroad in Berlin/Germany, or even business-related questions too! I’m a member of a business fraternity on campus and have done an internship at an investment bank in New York during the summer after my junior year if you’d want advice for club/internship recruiting."

Barbara Guajardo 

"Hi!!! My name is Barbara Guajardo and I am about to go into my junior year here at the University of Michigan. I am double majoring in studying Political Science and German, with the goal of going attending law school post grad and studying either environmental law or something in government. As an out-of-state student, from Houston, Texas, the German language and culture have never really been something I was constantly exposed to, only when traveling to Germany as a kid for my dads work or taking two years of German in high school before it got cut due to lack of interest. Coming to Michigan has allowed me to pursue my german language tsudies beyond merely grammatical practice but fully immersing myself with German community and culture through the classes offered here at UofM. Last summer I had the amazing opportunity to study at the Goethe Institut in Berlin and Freiburg for five weeks, and It was a great experience! So great that I decided to go back to Germany for longer by studying abroad in Berlin through IES Social Sciences and Humanities in Berlin this coming Fall (2026). I am so excited to actually get to live in Germany long-term!! Outside of my studies, I volunteer with TEA Textline (ask me about this!!), am in a student lead club: Students For Democracy, and am an active member in my sorority. Additionally, I love traveling, working out, shopping/thrifting, hanging out with friends and reading!"

Kaitlyn Parks

"Hi! My name is Kaitlyn and I’m a junior studying Biomedical Engineering and German. I grew up in Clarkston Michigan and was fairly active in my high school’s German department! I am currently living in the Max Kade Haus as of my Junior year after finishing up a year abroad in Germany through the Academic Year in Freiburg program. I first started studying German in high school because of my family heritage but also because of a vacation my family took to Germany where I fell in love with the country and culture. I decided that after 4 years of learning German in high school that I wanted to continue on the path towards fluency and decided to pursue a degree in German during University. While juggling two majors that don’t have a lot of overlap is difficult, it is not impossible and I can help provide tips and tricks about double majoring in a stem degree and German. I can also offer insight into living in the Max Kade Haus and my time abroad with the AYF program. I am also open to one-on-one tutoring, studying assistance, or practicing German language skills in a more relaxed environment! Please don’t hesitate to reach out for assistance or with any questions you may have!"

Grace Wininger

"My name is Grace Wininger, and I’m thrilled to be one of the German Peer Mentors in my final year at UM. I’m currently a double major in German and Biopsychology, Cognition & Neuroscience, with a double minor in Sweetland Writing and Law, Justice & Social Change – which is exactly as hectic as it sounds.I’m a Michigan native, but was born and raised in a Spartan household – though I hope wearing the ‘block M’ for the women’s rowing and rugby teams has made up for it! I also spent the 2026 Winter Semester in Tübingen, Germany (with a month in Freiburg at the Goethe-Institut to top it off). From visa requirements and health insurance paperwork to joining rock climbing gyms and camping in the Alps, I’d love to help make your study abroad experience as easy as possible. And if you feel like talking about plants, movies, or random adventures on your bucket list, let’s chat!"

Maggie Christoffersen

"Hi, I'm Maggie! I'm a senior studying both Data Science and German, and minoring in Science, Technology, and Society through the Residential College (RC). I've been studying German since my freshman year of high school and really enjoy learning about the history, language, and culture. I have studied at the Goethe Institut in Dresden and also interned this summer at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum as a web production intern, helping develop content for their website and improve its appearance and analytics. I would love to give advice to anyone interested in those experiences!
At Michigan I'm part of the Michigan Daily Web Team, also helping to work on the paper's website and analytics, am a part of Girls in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, lead Her Campus magazine, and am involved in a dance group. If you have questions about taking intensive German in the RC, adding a German major, or studying abroad with Goethe, feel free to reach out!

Thanks, Maggie"