Julia E. Dimitrova, '11Major: Psychology Awards and Achievements: Dean's List: 2008-2009, 2010-2011 Club or Student Organizations: Campus Action |
Hiking through the Schwarzwald, near Freiburg, Germany (2010) |
Title of senior thesis in Psychology: "A Cross-Cultural Perspective on Caregiver Issues Related to Attitudes, Treatment of and Quality of Care available to Older Adults."
Statement: "German has been a part of my life in some respect since high school; in that sense, choosing to continue German at Union only seemed natural. To me, studying another language is more than just learning words or grammar or sentence structure--it signifies adopting a new way of thinking, opening oneself to new perspectives and new ways of communicating with people and expressing oneself. My term abroad in Germany was a perfect example of this, as I had the pleasure of meeting so many new people and picking up the nuances of a language and culture that one simply cannot learn in a textbook or classroom. I was lucky enough to be accepted by the DAAD (Deutscher Akademischer Austausch Dienst) for a summer internship in the city of Aachen, which allowed me to extend my stay in Germany for another couple of months and experience the summer there. I interned at the university clinic there under a psychology Ph.D. student--not only did I get to see what student life is like for Germans but I also was there for the World Cup and got to be a part of the excitement when cheering for the German team. It goes without say that I learned a lot from time spent in Germany; more so I really felt as though I belonged there. Currently, I am working on plans to move to Germany in the fall and then continue my studies there."