North Central College German majors Hannah Kramer of Aurora and Emily Labedz of Naperville recently gave formal presentations to senior residents of Monarch Landing, a Naperville retirement community. Their presentations focused on their research and travels in Germany.
Kramer, a senior who’s pursuing state certification to teach German in high schools, studied in Heidelberg, Germany, in fall 2013 and participated in a December Term study trip to Germany in 2012 led by Gregory Wolf, North Central College Dennis and Jean Bauman Professor in the Humanities and professor of German.
Labedz, a junior who’s also majoring in sociology, participated in the 2013 December Term seminar titled “Germany from Luther to Present: Castles, Cathedrals, and Culture,” also led by Wolf.
In their presentations, Kramer gave an introduction on Heidelberg and spoke about her research on the historical evolution of the German Christmas Markets and how the Holocaust is taught in German schools.
Labedz presented a travel log about her experiences and discussed art, architecture and history in Berlin, Erfurt, Weimar, Wittenberg and Dresden. “I really enjoyed making the presentation,” said Labedz, “because I worked at Monarch Landing in high school at Naperville North and it was special to be able to go back and speak with residents again. They were very interested and even came up to talk to Hannah and me about their own experiences in Germany.”
Over the past two years, North Central College and Monarch Landing have established a partnership that includes a mentoring program, attendance by residents at campus fine arts events, and visits to Monarch by professors and students who talk about their areas of expertise.
“Hannah and I have been best friends since freshman year,” said Labedz, “so it was especially fun to be able to give a presentation with her about something we’re both passionate about.”
German and sociology are among 55 undergraduate majors offered at North Central College. Degrees include bachelor of arts in German and bachelor of arts in sociology with a focus on community studies or criminal justice.
