Rachel Lundeen wins the prestigious Herman S. & Dorothy B. Lederman Endowed Scholarship of the College of Arts & Sciences for the 2023-24 academic year!
Here is her winning statement so that you learn more about Rachel’s ambitions and goals:
“’But what’s the point of that?’ My friend’s words gave me pause. I had just described one of my most rewarding classes, a German literature course whose instructor emphasized questions over answers. I pondered how to do justice to the meaning and urgency of German Studies, which I have pursued with gusto since I was an ambitious 15-year-old forging plans for my academic future. In today’s information-saturated world, “answers” are a click away. Society has forgotten what it means to dig deeper, to recognize the value of questions that lack clear-cut answers.
As a German Studies major, I ask these difficult questions and harness the power of language and culture to investigate everything from autocracy and inequality to colonial discourse. With the help of a 2023-2024 Humanities Award, I will continue centering these questions in my academic work in order to deconstruct the problems facing society. Among other projects, I hope to expand my research on 20th-century Swiss travel literature, asking how we construct the self and the other, why representation matters, and what this might mean for us as we navigate globalization and confront questions of representation and identity.
After graduation, I plan to continue questioning, reject the false promise of quick answers, and inspire others to do the same. These values will motivate me while pursuing graduate degrees in German Studies and channeling my academic passions into positive social change. As a Humanities Award winner, I would be one step closer to turning these dreams into reality.”
All of us in the Department are extremely proud of Rachel’s accomplishments and are honored to have her as our student.
Check out these links to find out more about Rachel Lundeen:
Student Ambassador Rachel Lundeen
Co-President of the German Club Spring 2023
Theo and Rachel’s Revolutionary Discoveries
German Studies Seminar: Time, Space, and Travel in Selected Works by Annemarie Schwarzenbach
Rachel Lundeen, intern at Seattle's Holocaust Center for Humanity