Sustained engagement with other languages and cultures expands horizons, broadens thinking, and creates pathways for creative and compassionate interaction with the world. With a solid foundation in historical analysis and cultural understanding, and the context to apply that knowledge to debates, events, and conflicts, students are prepared for careers in diplomacy, law, politics, business, journalism, consulting, public interest, economics, finance, the arts and art management, academics, publishing, translation, and education, among other areas.
Alumni Stories
Devon Akers
A Russian studies and philosophy double-major, Devon is now a Washington, D.C.-based software engineer for one of the nation’s biggest banks.
“Studying Russian at Vanderbilt gave me so many more skills than just the language. I learned to think critically, and now I can apply a rigorous thought process to solve any problem I come across. My background in Russian was also very useful as I learned to speak new languages—programming languages. The fact that my education prepared me for my career, even though it seems to be unrelated, speaks volumes about the quality of education I received.”
Bianca Herlory
"Since European studies requires such broad coursework and interdisciplinary studies, I learned how to quickly adapt to and learn different subject matters while still tying them to the broader area of European studies.
The variety of cultures and languages within European studies also taught me to be a better communicator by learning to always understand my audience in order to deliver the appropriate message in the appropriate manner. I have learned how to write and communicate much more clearly and effectively. These are both skills that are highly transferable and versatile. The skills that I have learned by studying European studies are easily translated to any industry. So, while I am going into a more cybersecurity/tech focused area, it is a subset and tool of international relations where communication and the ability to adapt to different subject matters are critical."
Read the full interview with Herlory about her European studies experience.
Sean Moore
"I was a USTA, United States Teaching Assistant, associated with Fulbright Austria for two years. This experience was incredible, as I got to be fully immersed in a German speaking country for a considerable amount of time. My placement was in a smaller city called Steyr, which I believe benefited me. I formed relationships with locals who showed me their culture and their dialect, which is still sometimes hard for me to understand. Vanderbilt helped prepare me for this experience by providing a great level of German to come over with.
My professors, study abroad experience, and fellow classmates were all influential in my language acquisition. Vanderbilt also provided a place for me as a person to become a well-rounded open minded individual, which was extremely necessary when working with more than a thousand students and teaching a variety of classes."
Bonnie Pang
For Bonnie, a Russian studies and English double-major, studying Russian at Vanderbilt was about more than just learning a foreign language. It was also a chance to look at language, communication, and culture through a new lens.
“I gained a greater awareness of how I was using English to express myself and convey ideas. I also gained exposure to and a better understanding of a country that I knew very little about before university. These insights have served me well as I teach English abroad.”
Mark Pettus
As a first-year Vanderbilt undergraduate, Mark signed up for a seminar on the Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoevsky out of sheer curiosity. He was so impressed by this first encounter with Russian literature that he was determined to read it one day in the original. The following semester, he signed up for Russian 101.
Ultimately double-majoring in German studies and history, Mark also earned a minor in Russian. He won a coveted Fulbright Fellowship, which enabled him to spend a year in St. Petersburg after graduation, and went on to earn his Ph.D. in Slavic at Princeton University. He wrote his dissertation on Dostoevsky, of course.
After two years working as a translator in Russia, Mark joined the Princeton faculty in 2011. He teaches Russian, Czech, and Polish language courses, with a heavy emphasis on literature, culture, and history. He has also written a series of Russian language textbooks. He says that the appreciation he gained at Vanderbilt for both Slavic and Germanic languages and literatures, and the wonderful professors who taught him there, continue to inspire his own teaching today.
Leah Taylor
"I graduated from Vanderbilt in 2023 and moved abroad a few months later. I spent two years working in London and transferred to my company’s Munich office in August 2025. I was able to initially move to London thanks to the Wattles Fellowship, which places three graduating Vanderbilt seniors in a year-long position at Lloyd’s of London.
My education at Vanderbilt brought me to where I am now in ways beyond the fellowship. The enthusiasm and curiosity of the student body inspired me to begin studying another foreign language during the second semester of my freshman year. Vanderbilt’s holistic approach to education enabled me to add a German minor on top of my two majors. I also spent a semester studying abroad in Berlin, where I completed an internship, providing invaluable experience in an international working environment."
Monika Weisman
“Despite being a native Nashvillian, when I arrived at Vanderbilt, I entered a whole new world—one that, as a first-generation college student, I had no clue how to navigate.”
With the support of faculty mentors and the structured flexibility of the curriculum, she developed confidence, honed her analytical skills, studied abroad in Germany, and pursued a double major in psychology and European studies. Now a student at the University of Chicago Law School and Committee on International Relations, Monika credits her time at Vanderbilt with helping her articulate her desire to work at the intersection of international law and policy.
Molly Wells
"Studying German at Vandy sparked a love for languages which eventually allowed me to graduate with a major in German studies. I particularly enjoyed how we could have intellectual discussions about a variety of interesting topics (whether related specifically to German culture or not) in classes in German. I am currently participating in the Congress Bundestag Youth Exchange for Young Professionals, through which I took a C1 language course in Cologne, am now studying at Philipps-Universität Marburg and completed an internship. My hope is to pursue my master’s degree in religious studies in Germany."