Elizabeth Gustas (Class of 2022) is pursuing majors in German studies and neuroscience, which intersect through her research interests, and are together preparing her to be an effective medical professional and person for others.
Willkommen! I’m Elizabeth and I study neuroscience and German. I enjoy majoring in the German program, as well as being a member of the German Club, and Delta Phi Alpha, the National German Honors Society. I became interested in learning German in high school, where I had what has been called a near immersion language program. I decided to further pursue German academically when I came to SLU and met the outstanding German faculty. Throughout my years of studying German, I have fallen in love with the culture, language, and community. I have had the wonderful opportunity to travel to Germany thrice, with each time enhancing my passion for continuing my German studies.
Learning German has helped me to develop an encompassing worldview, an understanding of linguistics, and effective communication skills. As I am pursuing a career in medicine, I am excited to use these skills that I have developed in SLU’s German studies program. The German faculty at SLU take interest in every German studies student and make it their goal that we not only succeed, but also fall in love with the language and culture. I believe learning a language is a great way to open doors in future careers, and a great way to relate to others in the globalized world that we live in.