2026

She studied and did an internship in South Africa, taught German in India and coordinated the programme work of the Goethe-Institut in Central Eastern Europe in the Czech Republic - today Luisa Rath-John manages the Goethe-Institut in Los Angeles. She explains why studying Cultural Studies has opened up the world to her and what challenges she is mastering in Los Angeles far away from the film sets. She also gives current students advise for an international career.

How can science communication about Eastern Europe succeed? This was one of the questions Kuwi graduate and journalist Nancy Waldmann discussed with Michael Thumann, long-time correspondent for DIE ZEIT and an expert on Russia and Eastern Europe. The workshop discussion with young academics was organised by the Viadrina Center of Polish and Ukrainian Studies (VCPU) on 12 January 2026.

Dagmara Jajeśniak-Quast has been Professor of Interdisciplinary Polish Studies at the Faculty of Business Administration and Economics since 2014. She is also head of the Viadrina Centre of Polish and Ukrainian Studies (VCPU). However, her connection to Viadrina goes back to its beginnings: she was one of the first students to enrol when the university was founded in 1992. In this interview, she talks about these pioneering years, her personal journey across borders and the future of Viadrina as one of the most international universities in Germany.