Seven Students Inducted to Delta Phi Alpha German National Honor Society

Last week, at a festive induction, seven new students were inducted into the National German Honor Society, Delta Phi Alpha. To be inducted, students must have completed a minimum of two years of college German or its equivalent, have a minimum 3.3 GPA in German courses, have a minimum GPA of 2.7 overall, and have demonstrated a commitment to continued studies of German language, culture, and literature in the future. Most of the students inducted are pursuing the German Major, or the Interdisciplinary Major in Language, Business, and Culture with a Concentration in German; or a German Minor alongside a major in the humanities, fine arts, sciences, or business.

The induction featured many elements of German culture, including viola solos by Bach played by honor society inductee Noah Stevens, a speech by Jessica Epstein from the Montclair State University International Academic Initiatives office, words from the outgoing Montclair German honor society president Bianca Isabella Zarate Gonzalez, a presentation of the iconic poem “Stilles Reifen” by the German poet Christian Morgenstern from the inductees, and the awarding of certificates by German Program faculty Dr. Thomas Herold and Dr. Pascale LaFountain. Dr. Herold’s speech emphasized the links between student collaboration within the program and international diplomacy, and Dr. LaFountain highlighted some of the achievements of recent graduates who studied German, including work with the United Nations in Vienna, graduate study in the humanities and arts, as well as non-profit work for organizations such as APEX Social and corporate positions at companies such as Audi.

Students in the German Honor Society organize regular events such as pronunciation workshops, weekly German immersion conversation hours, and a Pen Pal exchange. Students are also eligible for special scholarships for members only. The incoming officers, President Sidney Berger and Co-Vice Presidents Samantha Spencer and Jack McCabe, have already begun planning a student roundtable on study abroad and leadership skills for next fall.