Hi there! My name is Victoria Ernst, and I am a senior at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Va. I am from Long Island, New York.
I am pursuing two Bachelor of Arts degrees – one in German and one in strategic communication – and am minoring in entrepreneurship. My passion for writing, language and travel inspired me to pursue these paths.
Throughout my time at W&L, I have been involved in numerous clubs related to writing, such as the university’s student-run newspaper, student-run magazine, and satirical magazine.
I also had the privilege of spending 10 months of my college career abroad.In the summer of 2023, I spent three months as a marketing intern in Freilassing, Germany, where I practiced my German daily and learned about international marketing. The experience was so fulfilling that I felt I had to return and grow.
The experience was so fulfilling that I felt I had to return and grow. I spent my winter semester studying journalism, communications, and business in Barcelona, Spain, through IES Abroad. I then traveled straight to Berlin to take an entrepreneurship course taught by W&L professors about Berlin’s social market economy. At the end of May, I flew to Freilassing to work as a social media manager.
My education and work experience in the U.S. and internationally have allowed me to collaborate with people of all different backgrounds, cultures and perspectives. These experiences have allowed me to understand multiple viewpoints, which is the key for effective communication.