Madeline in her NC State Rifle team’s attire.

German and International Studies double-major Madeline Pike started learning German in second grade while living in Australia. After her return to the United States, she started learning German again in High School.

While in High School she was accepted into the prestigious Virginia’s Governor’s Foreign Language Academies where she spent three weeks practicing her German language skills. There, she received an A2 certificate from the renown Goethe Institute. The A2 certificate is part of the the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment (CEFR) designed to provide a transparent, coherent and comprehensive basis for the elaboration of language syllabuses and curriculum guidelines as well as the design of teaching and learning materials, and the assessment of foreign language proficiency within the European Union.

At NC State, Madeline ended up double majoring in German and International Studies and was a member of the NC State Rifle team and Delta Phi Alpha. She graduated Summa Cum Laude last May.

For her experience abroad, Madeline did an internship with the Carl Duisberg Centren, a German language school, in Radolfszell, Germany. She was also the first recipient of the “Wilhelm Tell” award for German Studies for her enthusiasm and excellence in both German and Riflery. At the time of graduation, Madeline was still trying to decide whether she wants to teach German or pursue a government job focusing on international conflict management.

By Samuel Sotillo (Webmaster), with Helga Braunbeck (German Program Coordinator).