Student Katie Darragh received the 2021 Excellence in Language Studies Award from the Wisconsin Association for Language Teachers (WAFLT). This award recognizes individuals who have demonstrated great achievement and progress in language study and who exhibit great potential for further achievement in the language.
Dr. Michael Koch, visiting instructor of languages, literatures and cultures, who is also Darragh’s first-year German instructor, stated in his nomination that Darragh is “consistently very focused, helpful, and playful in activities and language tasks both inside and outside the classroom. She has always been collaborative and extremely motivated – not only to do the assigned work but also to delve deeper into grammatical constructions, nuances of vocabulary, situational context, and cultural idiosyncrasies of German-speaking lands.”
Selected from many nominees across the state of Wisconsin, Darragh was chosen for her remarkable accomplishments in learning German. This is the first time in decades that this award has been presented to a Marquette student. An active member of Marquette’s German Club, Darragh is currently a sophomore, intending to major in Corporate Communications with a minor in German. She also plans to study abroad at one of Marquette’s partner universities in Marburg.
Dr. Jenny Watson, associate professor of German, has been teaching Darragh in class this semester. “I wholeheartedly agree with this assessment – Katie is bright, inquisitive, and gifted at the German language,” Watson said.
WAFLT has been serving Wisconsin world language teachers since 1913 and is one of the largest state language associations in the country. The purpose of WAFLT is to promote, strengthen, and facilitate the teaching and life-long learning of world languages and cultures in schools and communities to meet the needs of our increasingly interdependent world.
