…bringing Germany to Green Bay.
Melanie Lasee (nee Froelich) started learning German at a time when she wasn’t sure what she wanted to do with her life. “I knew I wanted to be a teacher or work in a school,” Melanie explains, “and I tried math because I always loved it in high school, but that wasn’t it. I tried counseling and liked most of my professors, but that wasn’t doing it either. I decided to take a January interim class, German 1, and I immediately loved it.”
Of course, like many UWGB alumni, one mentor was especially influential for Melanie, and that mentor was Herr Doktor Werner Prange.
“Herr Doktor Werner Prange most impacted me during my time at UWGB,” Melanie says. “Herr Prange was so interesting, engaging, and funny, and the class was held in a non-traditional classroom. I did really well. Herr Prange suggested I try the German Intensive Workshop, and I did and I was hooked.” Eventually, Herr Prange facilitated an experiential learning trip to Germany, a trip that Melanie says simply brought the German language to life.
“He took us to Germany and showed us so many amazing places. We went to Fascing and Oktoberfest celebrations hosted by the German American Society of Green Bay. We visited 26 cities in 28 days, and it was the most amazing trip of my life,” Melanie explains.
But Herr Prange’s guidance didn’t end there: “He helped me plan my semester in Germany, so that I could get my teaching license,” asserts Melanie. “If I had never taken that first German class and met Herr Prange, I have no idea where I would be today.”
Not surprisingly, Melanie is a successful German teacher and takes her students to Germany on a regular basis, following in the footsteps of Herr Prange.
Name: Melanie (Froelich) Lasee
Grad Year: 1996
Major: German
Minor: Secondary Education
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We’ve asked alumni to either share stories of how their lives were transformed by the UWGB experience or how they are making the world a better place with transformational work in their careers, homes, or volunteer experiences. As UWGB celebrates its 50th Anniversary, meet an alum each week who has experienced a “UW-Green Bay Transformation.” Stories were self-submitted and then edited by Zachary Taylor, a 2010 English Education graduate currently serving as Interim Associate Director of the Phuture Phoenix program.