LFHS’ very own Elizabeth Fahlbusch recently took home first place in a writing competition held by UIC’s Germanic Studies School. Fahlbusch – who speaks German at home with her mother- submitted an essay written in German about the different recycling practices in Germany and America.

Fahlbusch visits Germany often to visit her extended family and attributes much of her proficiency in German to these interactions.

“My listening and speaking abilities are a lot better than my writing and my reading. I am more of a heritage speaker rather than a technical speaker, so a lot of my writing skills were from what I remember as a kid,” said Fahlbusch.

Every year, UIC German Studies School of LCSL – College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, hosts a series of competitions that high schoolers can enter. Categories for the competition include poetry recitation, culture essays, a spelling bee, and “Eindrücke von Amerika” which translates to “Impressions of America.” In this competition, students are asked to write an essay analyzing a cultural issue, more specifically, how Germany and America handle the issue differently.

 “I read her essay which was written completely in German, and it is extremely well-written,” said German Club sponsor Mr. Thomas Gigiano.

In her essay, Fahlbusch shared her experience with the recycling procedures set in place in a village in Germany where her family vacations often. She claims that Germany’s recycling culture is much more effective than the system in the United States.

“She argues that German culture is much more organized and efficient in their recycling efforts.  Instead of throwing all recycled items into one bin, they have different bins for plastic, paper, and glass. They are also the best at recycling in the world,” said Gigiano.

A majority of the competitors in UIC’s High School German Day were students enrolled in German classes at their high school. Given that LFHS does not currently provide German classes, Fahlbusch had to go through the competition and writing process without the support of classmates, a testament to her dedication.

“Elizabeth is such a wonderful, delightful person,” said Mrs. Kathleen Eikenberry, whose German-speaking husband had the chance to read Fahlbusch’s essay. “She is a great conversationalist. She is pleasantly outgoing and very intelligent.”

Fahlbusch worked on her winning essay for just over two months. She entered the contest in November, completed a draft in December, and had a German teacher from another school review it before she submitted the final draft in January.

“Recycling was something I knew I could tie my personal experiences from America and Germany into,” said Fahlbusch. “I thought it was a good topic because it is something you can compare back and forth really well. When I am in Germany in the summer, the way you throw things out is a big part of everyday life.”

Prior to the competition, Fahlbusch jumped on every opportunity to improve her German tongue, recognizing the benefits that come with knowing another language, a language that she intends to keep pursuing in the future.

“Being bilingual opens the door for a lot of opportunities such as studying abroad or pursuing an internship,” said Fahlbusch.

While Fahlbusch was overjoyed to receive the first-place award, she also appreciated the opportunity to meet and converse with exchange students from Germany at the competition.

“Knowing multiple languages is beneficial for any person.  Not only does it help with understanding grammatical constructions and language usage in general, but it also provides an individual with a deeper insight into other cultures,” said Gigiano. “Of course, it is beneficial to be able to communicate with as many people in the world in their own language.”