Sophomore Megan Wika Receives DAAD Undergraduate Scholarship

Gustavus Adolphus College sophomore Megan Wika ’14 has been awarded a scholarship from the Deutscher Akademischer Austausch Dienst (DAAD)/German Academic Exchange Service that will allow her to study in Freiburg, Germany next fall through the IES Environmental Studies and Sustainability Program.

DAAD is a private, publicly funded, self-governing organization of higher education institutions in Germany that offers programs and funding for students, faculty, researchers, and others in higher education, providing financial support to more than 55,000 individuals per year.

“I intend to pursue a career in environmental studies focusing on environmental policy,” Wika said. “The ability to study in Freiburg with the support of the DAAD is an amazing educational opportunity and life experience.”

Wika is a native of Blaine, Minn., who is majoring in geography and environmental studies at Gustavus. She says the support and encouragement from several of her professors has helped her to define a career path and set goals for her future.

“I am so thankful for the professors at Gustavus. Every professor cares about me as a person and is so willing to help me grow and learn. I am especially thankful for Professor Anna Versluis (Geography) and Professor Alisa Rosenthal (Political Science),” Wika said. “Anna has encouraged my interest in environmental studies and has been an unwavering source of support. Alisa provides insightful guidance and has helped give me the confidence to pursue opportunities I would have never previously considered.”

The DAAD was founded in 1925 by the German student Carl Joachim Friedrich who was able to obtain 13 fellowships from the Institute of International Education for Germans in the social sciences to study in the U.S. From these early beginnings – and with a re-founding of the organization after World War II – the DAAD currently awards more than 65,000 fellowships a year and is the largest grantor of international academic mobility support in the world.

If you are a Gustavus student interested in pursuing a DAAD Undergraduate Scholarship in the future, contact Rosenthal, Fellowships Coordinator at Gustavus, at 507-933-7437 or arosenth@gustavus.edu.