W&L’s Margaret Schweppe ’26 Selected for U.S. Teaching Assistantship to Austria

W&L's Margaret Schweppe '26 Selected for U.S. Teaching Assistantship to Austria Schweppe is looking forward to developing her German language and teaching skills in an immersive environment before joining PricewaterhouseCoopers as a management consulting analyst.

By Emily Innes Stanley
May 22, 2026

Washington and Lee University senior Margaret Schweppe has been awarded a U.S. Teaching Assistantship (USTA) to teach English in Austria. At W&L, Schweppe is a business administration and German double major. Schweppe is from Shelby, North Carolina, and graduated from Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy.

The USTA Program is administered by Fulbright Austria on behalf of the Austrian Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research. Teaching assistants are placed in secondary schools throughout Austria to teach English language and linguistic skills, serve as informal cultural ambassadors, and promote mutual understanding between the United States and Austria.

"I am honored to be selected by Fulbright Austria," Schweppe said. "This opportunity provides me a platform to grow professionally and personally. I also feel a sense of obligation to exemplify what it means to be an American in a global setting. W&L has given me the confidence and cultural awareness to tackle these important challenges."

Schweppe will teach in two upper secondary schools focused on business and professional education in Linz, Austria, helping students develop English language skills and learn about American culture while also improving her own German and immersing herself in the local community. Following the USTA, Schweppe will join PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) as a management consulting analyst, and she is grateful for the opportunity the USTA presents to strengthen valuable skills for her career, including communication, adaptability, cultural awareness and the ability to connect with people from other backgrounds.

"Working at a firm as global as PwC means collaborating with colleagues and clients from many different countries and cultures, and my time navigating a new country, language and work experience will prepare me to build trust with people whose perspectives and norms differ from my own," Schweppe said.

Schweppe is also looking forward to continuing developing her German language skills in Austria. Having studied Latin and Spanish in high school, Schweppe was excited to try a new language as a first-year student at W&L, but did not set out with the intent to major in a language. After meeting Debra Prager, associate professor of German and department head, at the academic fair, she knew German would be the right fit for her, with its emphasis on intercultural learning, opportunities to study abroad and the way it could complement her business administration studies. Although studying German pushed Schweppe outside her comfort zone, she says the challenge became one of the most rewarding parts of her time at W&L, and she is grateful for the support and encouragement of her professors, teaching assistants and classmates in the Department of German.

W&L's faculty members across various disciplines have played a significant role in Schweppe's four years on campus, and she is particularly grateful to Prager; Roger Crockett, professor of German; Jaime Roots, assistant professor of German; Amanda Bower, the Charles C. Holbrook, Jr. '72 Professor of Business Administration and department head; Elizabeth Oliver, associate dean of the Williams School and the Lewis Whitaker Adams Professor in Commerce; Paul Youngman, dean of the College and professor of German; Drew Hess, associate provost for academic development and operations and professor of business administration; and Lloyd Tanlu, professor of accounting.

On campus, Schweppe is involved in the LEAD Program and has held leadership positions in German Club, Casing Club, W&L Student Consulting, Kappa Alpha Theta sorority and on Panhellenic Council. She cites studying abroad as one of her most impactful experiences at W&L after spending Spring Term 2024 in Berlin, taking the class Layered Berlin: German Culture and the Social Market Economy. The course helped her see how economic systems are shaped by history, culture, politics and social values and gave her "a new appreciation" for how German could inform her understanding of business. She also appreciated the chance to practice her German in a real-world setting and to see the language as a tool for connecting with people and participating more fully in a different culture. Schweppe then spent the summer of 2024 participating in W&L's London Internship Program, where she interned with Hoxton Ventures and learned how her liberal arts education applied to a professional setting.

As Commencement approaches, Schweppe is grateful for the experiences and opportunities W&L has afforded her and she knows she will carry the lessons of a W&L education far beyond graduation.

"My time at Washington and Lee has taught me the value of curiosity, integrity and a commitment to others," Schweppe said. "Through my coursework, study abroad experiences, student consulting projects and relationships with faculty and peers, I have learned how to think critically, build meaningful relationships and approach challenges with both confidence and humility. I am grateful for the way W&L has shaped me into who I am today, and I am excited to carry these values into the future."

With the USTA, Schweppe will depart in September 2026 for her eight-month program. Upon completion of the program, she will join PricewaterhouseCoopers in their Washington, D.C. office as a management consulting analyst.

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W&L students interested in applying for the U.S. Teaching Assistantship Program should contact Matthew Loar in the Houston H. Harte Center for Teaching and Learning (Leyburn 114) or by email at [email protected].

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