Johnatan Wilkey
My name is Johnatan Wilkey, German teacher for Chesterfield County Public Schools. I avidly follow the German Bundesliga. My favorite soccer club is Borussia Dortmund. (Heja BVB! Schwarz gelb allez!) I graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University with a B.A. in German. I am the Vorplatter of Richmond’s traditional German/Bavarian dancing group, the Hirschjäger. (Insert Juchzer) My mom and her side of the family moved to Germany from Poland forty years ago. My mom and grandparents live in the town of Hanau, 20 minutes outside of Frankfurt. On my yearly trips to visit my family, I have also spent extended periods of time in Austria and Switzerland with a day trip to Liechtenstein for good measure. In my free time I like to hike, bike, run, play soccer and play video games (zocken). I am super excited to share my passion for German with everyone.
Samantha Vasquez
My name is Samantha Vasquez and this is my second year as a German teacher. I earned a BA in International Business and a BAFL in German from Virginia Tech, and completed my MEd in curriculum and instruction from George Mason University. My family is from Tübingen, Germany, and will use any excuse to say that Baden-Württemberg is the only state worth visiting. I am extremely passionate about languages and traveling, and enjoy looking at the ‘so what’ with my students; why is this important to me, and when will I use it in my everyday life? I am excited to be creative and have fun with the language through this program!
Beth Schuster
I grew up in Missoula, Montana, where I graduated from Hellgate High School.  I earned my Bachelor of Arts with a double major in German and History from the University of Oregon, in Eugene. I spent my senior year at the Universität Tübingen in southern Germany. I also earned a Master of Arts in Modern European History and a Master of Library Science in Archival Management from the University Maryland, College Park, after which I worked as an archivist for 8 years.
Outside the classroom, I enjoy spending time with my family, singing with the Fairfax Choral Society, watching University of Montana Griz football, going to Washington Caps games, learning to play the oboe, and playing table-top historical miniature war games.
Maggie Smith
My name is Maggie Smith and I am currently a German teacher at Greenwood High School in Bowling Green, Kentucky. I didn’t start learning German until I was a sophomore in college and took German as my college language requirement, but I quickly fell in love with the language and culture. Since then I have lived in 5 different German cities and have taught German at both the high school and university level. I am extremely passionate about language learning and view it as an opportunity to get to know another culture, but also learn more about yourself. I am excited to join the Virginia Governor’s German Academy this year and work with students excited to apply their language skills in new and exciting ways.