My experience as a Teaching Assistant in Austria had a profound effect on my professional development and shaped my entire professional career. Working with top-rate teachers in two schools convinced me to pursue my goal of completing the Doctorate in German with a focus on language teaching pedagogy and teacher-training. This has led to a rich career involving language teaching - first in supporting the development of new German teachers in a graduate program (University of Tennessee, Knoxville), and later directing a teaching-focused graduate program for French and Spanish K-12 and College teachers (Appalachian State University).

I have also served in leadership roles at the state and national level to support the teaching of German (American Association of Teachers of German) and all foreign languages (Foreign Language Association of North Carolina, including initiatives to ensure that college-level German programs survive the extreme cuts in support for smaller languages like German (Special Interest Group for Small Undergraduate German Programs of ACTFL).

Throughout my work, I am one of the few German profs who really knows Austria and can speak knowledgeably of Austrian culture as opposed to German culture when working with students. It's excellent that the AAEC is attempting to measure the impact of this excellent program, and I'd be very interested in advocating for this important program.

Beverly Moser is a graduate of the Georgetown University with a degree in German linguistics. She tought at an Austrian highschool as an US Fulbright Teaching Assistent in 1985–86.