Nicola Puggé, an international student from Bempflingen, Germany, is studying journalism and competing on the Shippensburg track and field team. She is committed to Shippensburg for all four years of her college career and is currently a junior.

Puggé never really considered studying abroad in America. 

“I didn’t think I’d go to America because I didn’t know a lot about the college system. All I knew were all these big universities with these real good track teams, and I was like, ‘there's no way I am good enough for that,’” Puggé said. 

However, in 2019, she went to the javelin Olympic training camp and met the Shippensburg javelin coach, Kurt Dunkel. She began to consider what studying abroad in America would be like and was eventually given an offer by Dunkel.

What Puggé likes most about America is the college athletics. Back in Germany, sports teams are separate from school, and it’s difficult to balance at the college level.

“Universities don’t really care if you have practice or meets or anything unless you're a high-class athlete,” Puggé said. She also explained her sports teams back home were much smaller and that she enjoys having the support of such a large team here in America.

One of the difficulties Puggé has faced in America is trying to eat healthily.

“At home, I don’t necessarily eat the healthiest all the time, but it's a lot easier to find healthy stuff. On campus, it is hard to find anything to eat as an athlete,” Puggé said. 

What Puggé misses most about home is her family. Her parents coached her team in Germany for most of her athletic career, so they were with her every step of the way.

“Coming here and not having my parents around for practice or even at meets is super weird,” Puggé said. She admitted that she usually calls her dad after practice to discuss how things went. 

A culture shock that Puggé experienced when she initially arrived here was how difficult it is to get places on foot in America. She explained that Germany is a lot more pedestrian-friendly than America, even in smaller towns. 

“I wouldn’t even be willing to walk to Walmart because it's so far, but even if I would… I would not trust it,” Puggé said. 

Puggé’s goal after college is to become a sports journalist, and she hopes to one day cover the Olympics.

“I grew up watching all the Olympics. I remember in 2008, the Olympics in Beijing, my brother and I would wake up early and watch diving competitions and other events,” Puggé said. She already has one foot in the door of sports journalism as the Sports Editor for The Slate.

Thank you, Nicola, for giving me a window into your culture as we celebrated Oktoberfest at Appalachian Brewing Company, even if the food was not quite as good as Germany’s. 

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