Supported by the Michael W. Haga Study Abroad Award, Ella Bougher ’25 improved her German language skills and experienced in person the German Rococo art she studied.
Ella Bougher ’25 chose to attend the College after Morgan Koerner, associate professor of German, laid out an opportunity she couldn’t refuse.
“I had an informal interview with Professor Koerner, and he mentioned the German study abroad internship program, solidifying adding German to my already decided art history major,” says the Evansville, Indiana native. “I always had study abroad in the back of my mind because I love Germany. I had been there in 2022, right before starting my freshman year and knew I wanted to go back.”
With studying abroad as her goal, Bougher took 300 and 400 level German classes so that when she attended the intensive language program in Berlin, she would feel confident.
Not only was she strengthening her language skills, but she was advancing her knowledge of the German Rococo Era.
“The Rococo is unfortunately a very understudied period of art history, so we don’t have any classes on it here at the College,” explains Bougher.
During her Art History 299 Research and Methods course with Professor Rebekah Compton, associate professor of art and architectural history, she did some research on the subject, specifically the Schloss Nymphenburg fresco.
To take her research to the next level, Bougher set her sights on an independent study, and thanks to the Michael W. Haga Study Abroad Award, graciously gifted by Nina Liu a renowned artist and fixture of the Charleston art scene, she spent the past summer completing an intensive language program in Berlin and deepening her knowledge of the German Rocco period.
“I could not have had the experiences I did without the award,” says Bougher. “The funds helped with my living situation so I could complete my independent study on the German Rococo Period.”
Bougher exemplified the type of student Haga envisioned to receive the award.
Michael Haga, retired associate dean of the School of the Arts and the inspiration for the award, believes that studying abroad should be for everyone and is an important part of the educational journey.
“Engaging in travel abroad allows students to experience things directly,” says Haga. “For example, studying the history and construction of a great cathedral is meaningful, but experiencing a structure such as Chartres in person
— watching sunlight come through stained glass and move across interior surfaces, examining sculptures on the facade from just a short distance and walking through its various parts — allows one to develop a richer understanding of and appreciation for the base of knowledge that comes from classroom instruction.
“Some of my former students have contacted me after their first trip abroad to say that what they studied at the College meant so much more to them when they saw a particular sculpture in a museum or visited an historic site,” adds Haga. “It would be great if every student had the opportunity to study abroad!”
Bougher got the incredible opportunity to see works and handle pieces she had been studying, including the Schloss Nymphenburg fresco in Munich and the Wieskirche in Steingaden.
“The hands-on experience of visiting drawing collections, handling objects up close and seeing sites in person rather than just on a screen was transformative,” says Bougher. “It was a magical experience that confirmed my desire to follow this path and strengthened my confidence in my academic choices. I wouldn’t have gained this clarity without this experience.
“Overall, my study abroad experience has given me a clearer understanding of why I am passionate about art history and what I want to do with it,” adds Bougher, who plans to pursue graduate school in Germany, and possibly a Ph.D., with an end goal of working as a museum curator in Germany. — Abby Albright