This year, I was thrilled to be accepted as a Hanauer fellow for the 2019-2020 academic year and honored to have my work as lead TA recognized through the Manfred Bansleben Excellence in Teaching Award. I am particularly excited to take part in the Hanauer seminar next year, as the theme aligns perfectly with my research interests and dissertation, tentatively titled “Writing (Off) the Animal: German Romanticism and the Animal-Human Divide.” The project is an attempt to explore the Western understanding of the connection between humans and animals by focusing on a historical period during which this relationship was undergoing a monumental shift. In doing so, I hope to show how the contributions of a relatively small group of authors continue to echo into the present day and offer an alternative narrative regarding the place of animals within the modern human sphere. The Hanauer seminar represents a fantastic opportunity to meet with scholars beyond my field and critically reflect on the legacy of humanism and human exceptionalism within Western civilization; I very much look forward to benefitting from their insight! I was also fortunate this year to have the opportunity to work more closely with the other language instructors as lead TA. I am deeply grateful to our excellent colleagues who made the new role a joy for me, and especially to the faculty for their recognition in the form of the Manfred Bansleben Excellence in Teaching Award. It was an eventful year, to say the least, and I look forward to discovering what the next will bring!