Walter Moak ’25 Earns Fulbright to Germany

Throughout his four years at Oberlin, the Charlottesville, Virginia, native competed on both the cross country and track and field teams, making four appearances across two different NCAA National Championships. 

Moak is the Oberlin track and field record holder for the 1000-meter, 1 Mile, and distance medley relay races, and appears 10 times on the sport’s top-10 times list. Before closing out his career, he also helped lead the cross country team to a pair of North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) Championships in 2022—the first time the men’s team won the crown in 66 years—and 2024.

In addition to his athletic achievements, Moak performed in Oberlin’s Arts & Sciences Chamber Collective and the Musical Union. With the latter, he performed at Carnegie Hall in January 2023. 

How did Oberlin shape or influence you to pursue the Fulbright?

During my time at Oberlin, I took a number of excellent classes in the German department. Although I arrived on campus with no knowledge of German, I signed up for German 101 with Professor of German Steve Huff during my first semester. I loved the class and continued to study the language, progressing through grammar classes into literature courses over the next few years.

In those upper-level courses, I read books and stories that were both surprisingly dynamic, both somber and comic, moving yet sharp. Contrary to the language’s caricatures in American media, I found that German could achieve a breadth of expression: spare and terse at one moment, but free and fluid at the next. 

Surprisingly, I also found that German complemented my other coursework quite well. As a musical studies major, I could read Wagner’s essays in their original text and understand the lyrics of Schubert’s song cycles. Additionally, I used my German in an art history course on Albrecht Dürer and in several linguistics classes. 

Although I enjoyed studying German, I had few opportunities to speak it. Since I chose not to study abroad at Oberlin, I started looking for ways to go to Germany after graduation. When I decided to apply for the Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship (ETA), the German department supported me at every stage: Professor Huff wrote a recommendation on my behalf, and Assistant Professor of German Jessica Resvick reviewed and helped edit my application essays. 

I also have to credit Oberlin’s track and field team for creating a culture that encouraged me to apply. The team is full of ambitious people who apply for competitive fellowships and often win them. During my time on the team, Emma Hart ’23 won a Thomas J. Watson Fellowship and Hayden Hill ’24 won another Fulbright, and two of my teammates applied in the same cycle as I did. With such company, I wasn’t intimidated by the Fulbright’s competitive process or prestigious reputation.

How does pursuing the Fulbright align with your post-college life and career goals? 

I’m unsure of what career I intend to pursue, and Fulbright gives me another year to figure things out. However, the program’s focus on education and linguistics could lead to jobs in those fields. 

Additionally, I’m considering getting a master’s degree in either urban planning or landscape architecture. Spending time in Germany will expose me to how physical places are planned and formed outside the U.S.

What’s the best advice you’ve received from your Oberlin faculty mentor?

“The worst they can say is no—and you’re in the same position you started in.” – Ben Wach, head track & field coach.

If you’re a rising or graduating senior interested in Fulbright, connect with Fellowships & Awards to learn more about pursuing research or an arts project, obtaining a graduate degree, or teaching English in a foreign country of your choice following graduation.