Hi everyone! My name is Connor Biederman and I am a rising junior. I am majoring in finance with a minor in German. I have been learning German since 8th grade and hope to improve it while Im in Berlin! I am from Kennett Square Pennsylvania– the Mushroom Capital of the World. For those of you who know West Chester University it’s about 15 minutes from there, otherwise a 45-minute drive from Philadelphia. Personally, some of my interests include basketball, music, movies, TV, reading, and hiking. My favorite basketball team is the Minnesota Timberwolves (there may be some late nights in Germany if they win game 7 tonight). I like all kinds of music and hope to try and go to a concert in Berlin, I just saw Neil Young in Camden! My all-time favorite movie is Indiana Jones’s Raiders of the Lost Ark. Currently I am watching 30-Rock and New Girl for TV shows. As for books, I am currently reading Dune and The Beautiful and Damned. I enjoy to read all types of books ranging from philosophy to science fiction. A lot of my favorite books have been by the great German author Franz Kafka, and I would love to learn more about him while in the area!
While it may just be a family legend, my Dad always told stories about there being a “Biederman Castle” somewhere in eastern Germany that was later renamed something else. While I’m here I feel it is my duty to confirm or deny this family legend. I would love for it to be true, but my hopes are not too high.
On campus, I am involved with the business fraternity Phi Chi Theta and have been on leadership since my Freshman year. Through this organization, I have learned a lot both professionally and academically. As a Freshman, it helped me transition into college and taught me a lot of valuable skills academically. From older members, I learned better study habits and they helped me achieve the grades I desired. Additionally, I attended many professional workshops, events, and speakers that completely broadened my horizons professionally. I went in knowing absolutely nothing and they turned that around!
As for professionally, this will be my first official internship. I am excited to finally make such a big step. Otherwise, I have been working in a chemical plant since I was 17. It has given me a lot of real experience in the workplace and taught me a lot. From leadership to teamwork skills, it has provided me with a lot of skills I aim to apply to this internship! Although I cherish my time at the chemical plant, I am excited to move on past it into a less labor-intensive field of work. I do believe, however, that working this job has given me a unique perspective and skills to apply to internships and jobs.
The IIP program in Berlin was one that appealed to me as soon as I heard about it. As a finance major with a German minor, I found it to be the perfect combination of the two. I could better myself professionally through the internship while also improving my German skills. The classroom can teach a lot, but experience can teach even more! Because of this, I plan on learning as much as I can about Finance while I am here and improving my German. I will be interning at Kenbi an up-and-coming German healthcare firm. The firm focuses on providing quick, easy, and affordable at-home care to people all across Germany. For the firm, I will be helping with the finance side of things. The healthcare industry is one I am interested in, so interning in it is a big plus for me. Also, I think it will be very interesting to see how German healthcare works compared to American healthcare.
I hope to gain a lot from this experience personally, professionally, and academically. Personally, I am excited to experience such a different culture and country as well as learn skills that I can apply to my life. Professionally, I hope to get a better understanding of working in finance and learn transferable skills to help me in later job hunts. Academically, I hope to improve my German for my German classes and get a better understanding of my working/study habits.
Overall, I am extremely excited about this opportunity on many levels. I think this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and I plan to maximize every minute. I am extremely excited for the coming weeks which I know will be filled with great experiences, a lot of professional experience, and a lot of learning!