Catherine Luensmann: 'I want to Travel to As Many Countries As Possible'

It’s a normal Monday, and Catherine Luensmann wakes up to her alarm at 7 a.m. Her classes at George Mason University start at 9 a.m., and last until 5:15 p.m. Her weekly schedule usually runs along these lines, whether it is a workday or a school day, just like most of us.

Born in Tacoma, Wash., her family moved to the homeland of her mother when Luensmann was a little over a year old.

As far as she knew, she was German. She lived in Germany among close-knit family and friends for the next eight years, and the half-African American, half-German Luensmann grew up in a very traditional manner.

Her mother moved Luensmann and her younger sister back to the states for the sake of their stepfather’s work. This time they settled in Woodbridge, Va., where the girls were placed in the local elementary school.

As a child, she remembers the most impressive part of moving to the United States was that “Everything here is bigger and farther apart. I remember thinking there are so many big spaces, roads, buildings.”

Speaking to Luensmann now, you would never guess that English was her second language or that she once had to adjust to American culture. She dressed quite fashionably in the common style of a 21-year-old American woman, and when asked what type of music she likes, she explains, “I love R&B, rock, hip-hop, alternative – anything I can sing along to or has a nice beat.”

For fun, she goes out to clubs, to the movies and is the kind of person to try anything new at least once. A favorite hobby of hers is definitely traveling, whether it’s to visit her family every two years or to a new country or state.

To aid her in the adjustment of moving to the states at 8 years old, there were programs in Germany as well as the United States that prepared her for the transition. “I took a year of English in a German school before moving, and took a year of ESL in the states,” she admits.

The change in language was the easy part. Luensmann says that the most difficult part of moving was “Leaving all friends and family behind [and] not knowing anyone here. There were no familiar faces here and family is thousands of miles away.”

This may be what landed Luensmann at Mason. The fact that she already had to leave behind her extended family and childhood friends may have been why she felt so strongly about not leaving her mother, sister and brother to go to college. “I chose to go to Mason because it’s close. I wanted to stay near my family.”

Since Luensmann pays for her own education through loans and holding down two jobs at a time, on average, she says sometimes it feels like Mason is too pricy a university for her. Although, since Mason was the only college she considered attending, she jokes that, “I feel like I’m being ripped off, but that might be college in general.” Northern Virginia living is also known to be expensive, but again it is the price to pay to be around those you love.

As many commuters do, Luensmann usually hangs out in the Johnson Center when on campus, and that is where she eats and gets most of her studying done in between classes. Luensmann says that another highlight of Mason that also serves as a comfort for her is the fact that it is such a diverse campus.

While she would like to participate in clubs or organizations on campus, with a full class load and full-time work schedule, “there’s just no time.” Things that inspire Luensmann and keep her going are “seeing beauty in nature. Also people who are genuinely nice and caring.” Her mother is the most inspirational person to her: “She’s an amazing woman who never gives up and always has a positive outlook on life.”

Her mother’s strength in bringing Luensmann and her sister here and starting a strong, new life for them is what drives her towards ensuring a successful future for herself. As a global affairs major studying Japanese and Russian, Luensmann aspires to have a successful career that allows her to travel to different countries.

“I want to travel to as many countries as possible. After a while, I would love to settle on a sunny beach somewhere.”

When asked if she thinks she will live long-term in the United States or if she plans to eventually return to Germany, her current plans hold homage to the states. “I’ll probably live in the states, although I might move back to Germany for a few years at some point.”