Senior Concentrator elected to Phi Beta Kappa

Addie Esposito, a senior concentrator in German and Government, has been elected to Phi Beta Kappa (PBK), Alpha of Massachusetts at Harvard College. She joins two concentrators in German from the class of 2024 – Zachary Lech and Dhruv Goel – who were elected in fall 2024. Membership in PBK is an honor bestowed on those whose coursework demonstrates not only high achievement, but also breadth of interest, depth of understanding, and intellectual honesty. 

Addie’s current senior thesis examines Bundestag members' understandings of German national identity, with a particular focus on East/West and generational differences.

She is researching 1) the extent to which Bundestag members self-identify primarily as East German, West German, German, European, or a regional/local identity and 2) how their understandings of national identity vary, with a particular focus on generational and East/West divides. She conducted her interviews and research while interning in the Bundestag in summer 2024, when she worked in the office of Metin Hakverdi, an SPD parliamentarian from Hamburg. It was through Mr. Hakverdi that she also met Chancellor of Germany, Olaf Scholz.

Congratulations to Addie!

updated 02/19/2025