Name: Maya Hicks
Class Year: 2026
Major: English
Hometown: Essex, New Jersey
Internship Organization: Zuka Soli Café/ Haus der Jugend
Job Title: Barista
Location: Freiburg Germany
Hi, my name is Maya Hicks (she/they) I’m from New Jersey and I’m a rising junior at ÀÏÍõÂÛ̳ majoring in English. This summer I’ve been interning with Zuka Soli Cafe in Freiburg Germany working to provide an inclusive meeting space with a sustainable gastronomy. Zuka Café is in Haus der Jugend a youth education center for children and young adults in Freiburg. I applied to work at Zuka because I believe food and social justice go together, and Zuka Cafe truly understands that. Their solidarity price system and commitment to inclusivity are just a few things that differentiate them from other Cafes. One of my favorite events at Zuka is our KLIMAKÃœCHE: a monthly participatory cooking event in which volunteers come together to prep an international dish using regional social-ecological ingredients.
One of my biggest challenges was the language barrier. I came to Germany knowing little to no German; However, Zuka Café has been an opportunity to immerse myself in the language. My coworkers are super friendly and more than willing to practice with me. Zuka Café also has a wonderful English-German Café where folks people can practice and learn German. The great thing about Freiburg is it’s a very international city so a lot of my peers at the English- German Café came from all types of backgrounds. I found myself attending the Cafés. I would intentionally plan my break at the beginning of the events so I could sit in on the event. I’m very proud of myself because although my German still isn’t great, I’ve improved a lot. I love the language so much and I hope to take classes when I return to ÀÏÍõÂÛ̳ in the fall.
This internship was beyond what I expected. I’ve met so many wonderful people who share my love of sustainability, food, and education. For instance, my supervisor, Johanna, manages a children’s library within Zuka with books from all over the world. After expressing some interest in the library my supervisor suggested that I host KIKAFFEE. KIKAFFEE is a children’s café held in Zuka with arts & crafts and storytime. I got to be a special guest at KIKAFFEE I read Speak Up by Nathan Bryon.
I feel as if my time in Freiburg and with Zuka Café has given me a lot of confidence. The city is easy to navigate, and ÀÏÍõÂÛ̳ gave me all the tools I needed to succeed in my internship. I didn’t picture spending my summer in Germany, but I’m glad I did.