Jonah Dittes graduated in the spring with a double major in German and linguistics, and now he is embarking on one of his biggest adventures yet.
Dittes was recently awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to spend a year in Germany teaching in English classroom.
“I actually don’t think I would have applied to the Fulbright Program if it weren’t for alumni encouraging me to do so,” Dittes said. “So I was at an event. I think it was a hosted by the German department, and this guy who had done it previously, who is now doing a master’s here, he really encouraged me to go for it.”
In applying for the award, Dittes credits the encouragement and support of Office of Undergraduate Research, Fellowships, & Service Learning, as well as his time studying abroad.
“The study abroad opportunity that I pursued really helped me and my career path, because the second half of it was in internship,” Dittes said. “… I think that year abroad in Germany, like without it, I wouldn’t be the person who I am today. And I don’t think I would be so willing to step out of my comfort zone as I am now doing the Fulbright Program.”
Dittes also spent two years working as a Global Ambassador in the Programs Abroad Office, helping advise other students on opportunities abroad, easing their concerns and helping them reach the goals they set in place.
He enjoyed the chance to talk about his experience abroad each day and share the joy he got from that with others.
“So many students would come into the office really unsure or nervous, or just not having any idea of where to begin and being able to help them through that initial hurdle was very rewarding,” Dittes said. “And I can only imagine that those students you know went on to have an amazing experience abroad.”
With a year in Germany ahead, Dittes is excited to embrace the opportunity and explore his passion for the German language that started with his father – Dittes’ high school German teacher.
“Once I started learning German, it was like kind of a snowball effect where I got more and more invested into Germany, the German language, and thereby the German culture,” he said. “I started listening to a lot of German music. Started watching some German TV and movies. And just kind of the more I got invested, the more it kind of sucked me in. And through that, I kind of learned that I had a passing passion for foreign languages in general, so that kind of projected me towards the current path that I’m on.”
Dittes hopes to get a better perspective on what his future holds during his Fulbright experience. He is looking forward to being emersed in the German culture and school structure.
He hopes that may include a future in Germany above and beyond the initial commitment. But whatever it looks like, he is excited to find out.
“It kind of gives me a chance to dip my toes in the water, so to speak, and learn a lot,” he said.
Visit the Office of Undergraduate Research, Fellowships, & Service Learning to learn more about the Fulbright Scholarship and how to apply.