A native of Germany, Heike Raphael-Hernandez grew up in communist East Berlin but escaped to the west while at university and was living in Louisville, Kentucky, when the wall came down. She teaches English for UMGC and American studies at the University of Würzburg in Germany. Italian-born Giovanna McGilvray came to the USA as an army wife. Now a U.S. citizen, she serves as senior program and national test coordinator with UMGC in Aviano, Italy. John Leoniak, an assistant director in Student Affairs at UMGC, is a second generation Polish American from Greenpoint, Brooklyn—an area still noted for its vibrant Polish community.

Together they will discuss their connection to their heritage, what they are most proud of in relation to it, how they uphold traditions, and how their background has influenced their work here at UMGC.