From studying abroad in Würzburg, Germany, to conducting research at the Maryland Department of Health, Genevieve Hugenbruch ’15 returns to the Commonwealth with a myriad of experiences that she is using in her new role at a Pennsylvania nonprofit.

Hugenbruch, who was a triple major in global studies, history, and German, is a prevention evaluation specialist at the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence (PCADV). She evaluates the organization’s state-level prevention work and assists county-level programs throughout the state.

“I’m able to use my talents and skills to affect change at a community level to prevent violence. Evaluation is a unique blend of research methods, analysis, creativity, planning, and project management. It’s an important and sometimes overlooked part of the process—the goal is to assess what an initiative is doing well, what progress or impact it has made, and ways to improve it in the future,” she said.

While on the college search, Hugenbruch looked for a liberal arts college with a lot of extracurricular opportunities and a small professor-to-student ratio. She reached out to several professors, including Dr. Chris Dolan [chair of history, political science, and global studies], and she learned about the research and conference experiences students were having in the History, Political Science, and Global Studies Department. From there, she knew LVC was the college for her.

“My history, political science, and international studies courses helped me develop skills in thoughtful analysis,” Hugenbruch said. “Dr. Dolan was instrumental in encouraging me to pursue research in and out of the classroom, to present at multiple conferences, and even get published as a sophomore. I feel very fortunate for all my professors, the classes I took, and the experiences I had at LVC.”

Studying German and traveling abroad are two additional opportunities Hugenbruch desired when choosing a college. She still relies and reflects on her language classes with Dr. Rick Chamberlin, associate professor of French, German, and global studies, and Dr. Joerg Meindl, associate professor of German and global studies.

“Studying multiple languages and studying abroad was invaluable to me in my personal and professional development,” she said. “I cannot stress how important it is to have cultural competencies and to be able to see the world from another’s perspective. How better to do that than to learn another language or live abroad?”

Since graduating, Hugenbruch completed graduate work in intercultural communications at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and held a research assistantship in the Maryland Department of Health in the Office of Population Health Improvement.

These experiences got her where she is today, but she still wants more, driven by her liberal arts background created at LVC.

“I’m thankful for my experience at LVC every day, which prepared me personally and professionally to take on the world as much as a young-twenty-something can,” she said. “I don’t know that I would be where I am today if it wasn’t for LVC, to be honest. LVC encouraged me to develop and follow my passions.”

— Huntre Keip, Marketing & Communications Intern