Kristian Noll ’21, a recent graduate of St. Olaf College, is the first Ole to receive the Stipendium from the German International Parliament, a highly competitive and prestigious international award.

The stipend supports a five-month program taking place in Berlin, Germany, at the Bundestag, with the aim of immersing recipients in the decision-making of the parliamentary process, not just the outcomes. It gives participants a broad and comprehensive picture not only of the function, but also of the meaning, motive and functioning of the German parliamentary system and of democracy as a whole.

At St. Olaf Noll majored in Norwegian and Political Science, with concentrations in German Studies and Nordic Studies.

He was also a member of the men’s soccer team and maintained a perfect 4.0 GPA. In November, Noll received the Elite 22 award from the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC), recognizing him as having reached the top of competition at the conference championship level, while achieving the highest cumulative grade point average.

Noll plans to pursue a career in environmental policy and says his experiences on the Hill have prepared him well for his future. Part of the reason he is interested in this career and applied for the stipend is because of the time he spent studying in Norway at the St. Olaf Oslo Internship Reflection Seminar.

“St. Olaf has been a fantastic place for me to develop my interests,” says Noll.

Here he shares what he’s most looking forward to spending five months in the Bundestag and how St. Olaf helped him prepare for the opportunity.

How did you end up in St. Olaf? What did you participate in during your time at St. Olaf?
I’m originally from Pennsylvania, grew up mostly overseas, and am currently in Jerusalem, but started in St. Olaf when my family lived in South Korea. One of the reasons I chose St. Olaf was the language department: I spoke Norwegian and German when I arrived, and I wanted to continue. I also really appreciated the community atmosphere during my visit. I just felt like it was a great community and the campus is beautiful. The opportunity to work on campus, play football, and get involved in the community was a big deal for me when I decided to go to St. Olaf. Financial aid was also an important factor in my decision. At St. Olaf, I spent a lot of time on academics, which is what introduced me to this program. I played football for all four seasons, and it was a lot of fun. Besides schoolwork, I worked in the Norwegian department and at the Piper Center, which was a really fun learning experience and an overall great experience for me. I was also a member of the St. Olaf chapter of Pi Sigma Alpha, the national political science honor society, and served as its president for a year.

How did you balance a double major with two concentrations, two work-study jobs, soccer, and graduating early with a 4.00 GPA?
I think having a lot to do forced me to be productive with my time. Both football and work being big commitments, I had to find my routine and that was very important to me. I didn’t necessarily enjoy every task or aspect of my studies, but overall I had the interest and desire to learn my language concentration and majors, which helped me do well in classes and managing my time. One of the things I found really helpful about St. Olaf was the teachers, especially in my case for Political Science, Norwegian and German. I found the teachers I enjoyed taking classes with, had a good relationship with, gave me good feedback on my work, and worked with me to do my best.

Can you tell us about the allowance and how you got it?
It’s basically an allowance that allows me to spend five months in Berlin. I will spend two of those months attending seminars on parliamentary theory and German government to prepare for the internship at the Bundestag. I will spend the other three working in the office of a representative in the Bundestag Parliament, with the possibility of auditing courses at Humboldt University in Berlin. I heard about it from a German teacher at St. Olaf, Amanda Randall. I remember discussing it with her during the 2021 interim, doing some research and thinking, “Is this something I want to apply for? It goes from March to July, and when I saw these dates I thought “Wow, this is the perfect time for me because I’m graduating in December and I plan to go to university in the fall of the following year. I applied and was invited to interview in Washington, DC. I prepared expecting an American-style interview and received a completely different German-style one. I was asked questions about the German government system, the IPS program and how it relates to my personal goals. Honestly, I found it pretty hard, so I walked away thinking, “Oh my God, I don’t know if it went well.”

What was your reaction when you found out you were accepted?
I was surprised. I felt I was a good candidate for the program, especially considering my interests in politics, the time I spent speaking German and the time I lived in Germany (from 2013 to 2017), but I didn’t necessarily feel like I expressed that in the best way in the interview, so I’m glad it worked out, and I’m looking forward to it.

Why are you excited or nervous?
I think the program is a fantastic opportunity to learn more about democracy and policy-making from an inside perspective, especially in such an important place as Berlin. I’m interested in environmental policy, and Berlin is a crucial place for that. The opportunity to work alongside the people who are at the heart of decisions and debates regarding Ukraine, NATO and other important issues is something I look forward to. Personally, returning to Berlin and using my German in a professional and daily context is also something I look forward to. But I’m nervous about taking phone calls in German.

I think the program is a fantastic opportunity to learn more about democracy and policy-making from an inside perspective, especially in such an important place as Berlin. I’m interested in environmental policy, and Berlin is a crucial place for that. The opportunity to work alongside the people who are at the heart of decisions and debates regarding Ukraine, NATO and other important issues is something I look forward to.Kristian Noll ’21

What are your interests and future plans?
At this point, I plan to address environmental policy, particularly in the energy or shipping sector. I am interested in how policy can be used to encourage sustainable technologies and their adoption within industry. Next fall, I will be doing a one-year masters program at the London School of Economics in environmental policy and regulation, and maybe going to law school later to tackle these challenges from a perspective. legal view.

What role will the allowance play in your future plans?
By learning some of the behind-the-scenes discussions and coordination of environmental issues in this program, I hope I can bridge the gap between industries – perhaps German industry in the US or vice versa – in my future career. What I think the stipend will ultimately give me is a better understanding of policy-making processes, which I hope to apply to international cooperation to solve global environmental problems. I hope to end up working on issues important to the US and European markets, but where exactly that will place me, I’m not sure. What’s most important to me is that I’m able to work with people around the world in all kinds of industries and governments to slowly but surely work towards progress on the environmental front – especially in this regarding the use of renewable technologies and the implementation of them in the United States and elsewhere.