Leindecker Travel Award to Germany

Alumna Kendra Leindecker Mirasol (B.A., UCI German, 1988, and MBA, University of Chicago, 1993) continued to share her generosity in 2007 by again making a gift to the Department with 100% matching funds from her husband’s employer, IBM, to fund the Leindecker Travel Award to Germany for undergraduate students.

The faculty selected two recipients: Benjamin Bohr and Bradley Kahl. John Smith is pictured here with Benjamin Bohr. Benjamin, with double majors in Political Science and Global Cultures, is of German heritage. One of his goals upon entering UCI was to become fluent in German and thus he enrolled in several of our language classes. The basic knowledge he has acquired plus his fascination with German politics, culture and the country’s role in the European Union sparked his interest in the UC Education Abroad Program (UC EAP). He will use his award to help support his studies at the Georg-August Universität in Göttingen in the fall of 2008. Second recipient Brad Kahl, also a double major—German Studies and Political Science—is using his award to help finance his participation in the UC EAP Program as well. He is spending 2007-08 in Berlin studying at Humboldt-Universität. Brad anticipates that upon graduation, his year abroad will be helpful in pursuing a position utilizing the language skills and cultural knowledge he will acquire.

INTERVIEW WITH ALUMNA & DONOR KENDRA LEINDECKER MIRASOL

When did you start giving to the UCI German Department and why?
I began donating funds to the German Department in 2000, twelve years after having received my B.A. in German literature. Scholarships have been an integral component of my own education, because I come from a modest background and was the first member of my family to attend college. Without support from work and scholarships, I would not have been able to complete my degrees and would surely be leading a very sheltered life! Has anyone ever asked you, "So, what are you going to do with a German literature degree...teach?" Yes, a million times! And the answer each time was, "No!" While I had briefly considered a teaching profession, I felt my personality and skills were more suited to international business. It wasn't until my junior year, when one of my closest college friends was perceptive enough to see I had a love and talent for languages, but was studying economics for "practical" reasons. He quickly convinced me to do something I love, and assured me that success would follow. That day, I turned in a drop slip for an advanced Econ course and changed my major to German literature.

What makes your gift unique?
It is important for me to support students in their ability to broaden their perspectives by traveling outside the US. As an undergraduate, I had spent two summers abroad working and had subsequently been sponsored by The German American Chamber of Commerce to work abroad as a young professional. These experiences changed my lens of the world dramatically. The professors in the German Department agreed that allocating funds specifically for travel would help students bridge the economic gap that may hold them back from going abroad. I am confident this gift has an immediate and significant impact, and I often receive letters from recipients revealing their experiences.

What are you doing now?
I am currently Senior Vice President for IOR Global Services, an intercultural consulting company that helps clients develop their employees to operate effectively in the global marketplace. I run the business and am responsible for the strategic and financial growth of the company. IOR is a premier provider of global talent management, cultural training, language instruction and destination services.

The German department is extremely grateful to Kendra for her continued support.

RECIPIENTS OF THE LEINDECKER TRAVEL AWARD TO GERMANY

2001-02
Priscilla Palacios: German Studies major—academic year 2001-02 on UC EAP at Georg-August Universität in Göttingen

Clay Wilkinson: English and Mathematics major—summer trip to Germany to do research for Humanities Honors thesis at the Nietzsche archives in Weimar and at the Universität Basel

2002-03
Edith Ho: French, German Studies and European Studies major—Columbia University visiting student academic year 2002-03 to attend the Sorbonne in Paris fall semester and Freie Univerität Berlin spring semester

Keith Mueller: German Studies major—summer cultural and linguistic trip to Berlin, Germany

2003-04
Quan Tran: Comparative Literature and Asian American Studies major—trip to German cities of Berlin, Nuremberg and Dresden to do research on project on second-generation Vietnamese German immigrants

2004-05
Philip Menges: Criminology, Law and Society major and German minor—academic year 2004-05 on UC EAP at Georg-August Universität in Göttingen
 
Alexander Phillips: German Studies major—academic year 2004-05 on UC EAP at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin

Kelly Savin: International Studies major—fall semester on UC EAP at Georg-August Universität in Göttingen

2005-06
Elizabeth Donnelly: International Studies major—spring semester on UC EAP at Georg-August Universität in Göttingen

Kai Moriyama: German Studies major—academic year 2005-06 on UC EAP at Georg-August Universität in Göttingen

Patrick Reagan: Film and Media Studies major—fall semester on UC EAP at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin

2006-07
Glenn Ellington: Music major—University of Miami School of Music summer program in Salzburg

Ornanong Maneerattana: Criminology, Law and Society major—summer trip to Hamburg for language course and then service as an unpaid intern at an NGO, part of Amnesty for Women, assisting women migrants with German immigration law and their rights

Anne Nakamura: International Studies and Political Science major—fall semester  studying in the European Studies Program at the Freie Univerität Berlin (FU-BEST)

Tiffany Wu: Political Science and History major— fall semester studying in the European Studies Program at the Freie Univerität Berlin (FU-BEST)

2007-08
Bradley Kahl: German Studies major—academic year 2006-07 on UC EAP at the Freie Universität Berlin

2008-09
Joanne Buenaventura: Philosophy major—academic year 2008-09 on UC EAP at Georg-August Universität in Göttingen

Marie Ellis: Honors student majoring in English—academic year 2008-09 on UC EAP at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin

Diana Fischer: German Studies major—academic year 2008-09 on UC EAP at Georg-August Universität in Göttingen

2009-10
Grace Cong-Xin Wong: Humanities and Arts major—academic year 2009-10 on UC EAP at Freie Universität Berlin

Emily Kuhlmann: Art History major—fall semester on the FU Best program at the Freie Universität Berlin

Amber Myers: International Studies major—fall semester on the FU Best program at the Freie Universität Berlin