LIMELIGHT INTERVIEW WITH JESSICA SCHÜLLER

“I think pivoting is a big thing and you have to be aware of the fact that you’re going to have to pivot all the time,” says Jessica Schϋller, when asked how working in international education has prepared her to deal with the changes brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.

You have to learn to be resilient, be able to pivot, and then be resourceful especially in this field because it’s so competitive and the perceived entry barrier is low.”

Pivoting is exactly what Jessica has been doing for the past 10 years. Growing up on a farm in rural Wisconsin, the idea of traveling or studying abroad wasn’t a popular education path. “Someone from my high school won a full scholarship to go to Russia and I thought that was cool and I wanted something bigger for myself as well.”

Her motivation to travel abroad was enhanced even further in her junior year after two exchange students enrolled at her school – one of whom she eventually married. Jessica had hoped to get a scholarship for a program in Spain but was accepted into a German program. She lived with a host family and was able to become fluent in German. The experience living in Germany proved to be crucial in shaping the rest of her career trajectory.

After graduating high school, Jessica enrolled in a first-year study abroad program at an American branch campus in Italy. She later transferred to the College of St. Benedict in Minnesota, where she received a bachelor’s degree in sociology with a minor in German studies. During that time, she spent the summers getting work experience in Germany through volunteering, interning, and teaching English.

Her fascination with migrants living in Germany inspired her to apply for the Critical Language Scholarship Program (CLS) sponsored by the U.S. Department of State. This opportunity would take her to Ankara University in Turkey for three months where she became conversational in Turkish.

 Jessica returned to Germany and accepted a position in the international office at the University of Augsburg in Germany helping international students find jobs in Germany while also teaching German cultural studies. She used her personal experience with finding internships in Germany and founded the Germany Internship Program. Within three years she was able to assist ten students in obtaining summer internships, half of those from her alma mater. Three of those students are currently working in Germany or Switzerland and one of them has a Fulbright Scholarship in Austria and is planning to go to medical school in Germany.

She considered returning to the USA but was given the opportunity to get a fully-funded master’s degree in research and innovation in higher education from Tampere University and Danube University Krems. “I spent my first semester in Austria and the second semester in Finland. I was supposed to go to the USA, India, and keep traveling but the pandemic happened. I’m currently in Austria and in the process of submitting my thesis because they switched the program around so that we are completing it in the middle of the program instead of at the end. I have six months left.”

Once she obtains her master’s degree, Jessica is planning to intern with CIPES, a prominent center for higher education research in Portugal.

In addition to continuing to provide career coaching and support to internationals, she also designs, develops, and facilitates workshops on topics related to working in Germany through Germany Career Coach, which she also founded. Her passion and future doctorate degree will be focused on helping high school students from rural communities gain access to higher education and study/intern abroad programs.

- Interview by Global Leadership League member and volunteer, Kanette Worlds.

The mission of the Global Leadership League is to ignite change across the global education field by empowering, connecting, and training leaders. We invite you to reach out to us here or learn more about becoming a member.