Spotlight – Sarah Scarbrough

: During my first few weeks here at MSU, after telling people my major, I got a lot of “oh… interesting,” in response. But as the weeks progressed and my peers struggled through assignments and exams, cursing their studies and programs, I realized something that changed my outlook on my “interesting” major: I absolutely love what I’m doing. I was very discouraged by people saying, “German? Well, what are you going to do with that?” Now I can confidently say, “whatever I want.” Anything. Everything. My time studying in the German department has made me realize that I will never curse my degree, I will never regret paying tuition to learn about German culture, language and history because I love it. My degree has opened so many doors and I can take my studies into a plethora of careers. After sifting through all of my options, I chose to expand my focus from just Germany to all of Europe as I pursue a European Studies Master’s Degree at the Freie Universität in Berlin this fall. While spending part of my summer in Germany last year, I took the weekends to explore other European nations and I fell in love with their social connections and cultural practices. While each nation is very unique and different, the same sense of pride and progress rings true in all the European countries that I had the opportunity to spend time in. Studying a culture and language does so much more than let you understand concepts; it lets you become a part of a lifestyle. Being able to understand the country’s native language allows you to take off your “tourist” hat and partake in the culture. As I finish my degree at MSU, I am very excited and beyond prepared to take on my next adventure in Germany. I look forward to fulfilling my dream of transitioning from “tourist” to “inhabitant.”