German Academic Exchange Service Awards Valparaiso University Junior with Prestigious Scholarship

Nathaniel Griewe ’18, a Valparaiso University German and secondary education major, has been awarded an illustrious German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) scholarship.

The DAAD is the German national agency for the support of international academic cooperation. DAAD programs support the collaboration between the German higher education system and academic institutions around the world to foster goodwill and professional relationships. Out of roughly 150 applicants this year, Griewe was one of 30 students chosen to receive this award.

Griewe, a student in Valpo’s Christ College — The Honors College, is currently studying abroad in Germany through Valpo’s direct exchange program with the University of Tübingen. He is working toward his degree taking courses in German short stories, German poetry and theology. As a future language teacher, he also chose to enroll in a Spanish course to observe similarities and differences in the foreign language teaching methods between the United States and Germany.

Griewe first became enamored with the German culture and language through his family experiences. His grandfather grew up with German as his first language, and Griewe’s mother fell in love with the language and chose to study German in college and study abroad in Germany. Through this exposure, Griewe followed in his family’s footsteps while discovering his own calling.

“I came to realize that my passion for German language and culture extended into a desire to share that same passion with others,” Griewe said. “My studies at Valpo have broadened and deepened my views on the purpose of education and knowledge, which in turn has strengthened my drive to become the best teacher I can be. Because of my classes at Valpo, I have been able to harness that and use it to propel me into earning this scholarship and into this year abroad.”