I grew up on a farm in rural Virginia, twelve miles from the nearest town. I think my strong interest in languages and foreign cultures was something that confused my family to some extent, and there were lots of things about traveling and studying in other places that I had to figure out on my own. Helping students to navigate some of those issues and helping them find ways to explore other parts of the world is one of the most important things I do in my work. I first attended the University of Virginia in Charlottesville where I earned a BA in German Literature and Linguistics. I then studied at Humboldt-Universität in Berlin, Germany with the help of a German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) scholarship. I owe a tremendous debt to the professor who told me to apply for that scholarship and helped me figure out how to do it. After my time in Berlin, I earned an MA and PhD in Germanic Linguistics from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and also spent a semester at the Albert-Ludwigs-Universität in Freiburg, Germany. Since 2000, I have been at the University of Iowa where I supervise the Elementary German program and teach a variety of courses including German Composition and Conversation, History of the German Language, and Business German. When I'm not busy teaching classes and grading homework, my hobbies include travel, cooking, and detective fiction.