Lisa Dukic is participating in the Transatlantic Program, which has assigned her to a five-month finance internship in Germany.

Lisa Dukic, CAS and SBA ’06, has never been away from home. However, she is now participating in the Transatlantic Program, which has assigned her to a five-month finance internship in Germany. While she was nervous about being on her own for the first time, she is excited about the doors the opportunity will open.

Having grown up in a large Albanian family and the first family member to graduate college, Dukic’s family was initially surprised at her determination to travel abroad to study, but they have been supportive.

“Since day one, I’ve told them that I wanted to go to Germany and work and see what happens,” said Dukic. “They trust that I can do this, so while they are concerned for me, they are happy for me, too.”

While in high school, Dukic began studying German. When she came to OU in 2002, she majored in finance and German and wanted to go into international management or economics. Through classes and as vice president of curriculum for Students in Free Enterprise, Dukic learned about business and melded that with her German skills.

Aside from eight years of studying German, Dukic has also worked at GMAC as an intern in the asset recovery center and as an administrative assistant for a carpentry business.

At the beginning of her senior year, she worked with the Chair of Modern Languages and Literature Barbara Mabee to locate an internship that would allow her to utilize her German background, which is how she learned of the Transatlantic Program.

The four-year-old program, orchestrated by the German American Chamber of Commerce for the Midwest, places students from a variety of areas of study, including business and engineering, with companies throughout Germany to improve their language skills and learn German business customs.

After a written application and a phone interview, Dukic was placed with Maple Bank in Frankfurt, where she will serve as a corporation analyst.

“Living in Detroit, we get to see so much of the automotive and banking industries. I am interested in getting into both of those areas and I really think this internship will help,” said Dukic.

Originally the internship was supposed to last for three months, but Maple Bank has requested Dukic stay on for five months. For the first week, she and the other students in the program were in Berlin together for language lessons and to meet government leaders and politicians. They then left for their jobs around the country. Dukic started June 1.

“This is going to be my first time away from home. I expect it to be difficult. I’ve never been independent before. I want to use this has an opportunity to also learn how to manage myself,” said Dukic. “I wanted it so bad. This was my dream. This is what I have always wanted to do.”

With family in Italy, Germany, Austria and Yugoslavia, Dukic plans to use her free time to visit, see the sights and take in the German culture she has learned so much about in the classroom.

“I want to see the world, starting with the area around Germany,” said Dukic.

Dukic also has another goal.

“I want to return home fluent in German. I won’t come back if I’m not fluent,” said Dukic.

OU offers a number of international education opportunities to students. For more information on the available opportunities, visit the International Education Web site or (248) 370-4131.