“Welcome to the United States of America!” A Customs and Border Protection Officer greeted me with these words at the start of my new life in a different culture. After more than 10 years in the U.S., I still call Bavaria, Germany my home. However, I always wanted to see more of the world. I was eager to learn about and experience other cultures beyond my own. Early on I developed an interest to learn English as a second language. While studying Business at a German Academy, I started my career as a Controller and stayed in this profession for more than 10 years. During the budget/forecast and month-end closing process, I enjoyed working closely with my counterparts from Austria, Switzerland, the Netherlands, France, and Hong Kong. When I traveled to the U.S. (Miami, FL) for the first time to further improve my language skills, I absolutely loved it. That’s why I started playing the green card lottery upon my return to Germany. Little did I know that I would end up in Manhattan, KS (The Little Apple) a few years later. Back in Germany, I met my future husband, a U.S. Army Infantry Officer. During his deployment to Iraq, I won the green card lottery. Since then, I have been enjoying the military lifestyle, which allowed me to live in 5 different states (KS, MO, NC, CA and VA) during the past 10 years. It gave me a new perspective on where I came from, who I am and what it is like to live in the U.S. I was looking for a perfect supplement to Business, so I studied Organizational Communication at Kansas State University (Go Wildcats). After I successfully finished my degree, I had my daughter who turned my life upside down. A few years ago, we moved from Monterey, CA to the greater Washington, D.C. area. I’m excited about my new chapter and look forward to contributing to Avid Core’s success story.