Hey there! Or like you can say in Austria: either Grüß Gott, or Hallo! My name is Sophia and I grew up in rural Illinois. Three things to know about me are that I love food, am fascinated by all forms of storytelling (oral tradition, books, movies, media, etc), and will always be down for an adventure.
I studied comparative literature at the University of Illinois, which meant analyzing literature from around the world to see how authors from different cultures, time periods, linguistic backgrounds, and regions tell the stories that are important to them. After finishing school in May I moved to Graz, Austria on a Fulbright scholarship. I’m used to Illinois farmland and open skies, so living in a city surrounded by mountains is pretty different for me! I’m also still getting used to the language. German is Austria’s official language, but the country has its own unique dialect-- imagine learning English in the United States and then moving to Ireland!
While in Austria I’ll be teaching English and working on a research project about cultural representation in middle school curriculum. On the side I’m trying to make some friends, travel as much as I can, train for a marathon, and sample lots of Austrian ice cream-- join me!
