I was born in Massachusetts, USA and spent three of my childhood years in a small village outside of Luxembourg City in Luxembourg. Since my parents placed my brother and I in the village school instead of the American School, we learned French, German and the dialect spoken in Luxembourg. This influenced my future life tremendously and I always wanted to return to Europe. I finally had the opportunity to do so during my undergraduate studies, where I spent one year as an exchange student at the University of Trier in Germany. After receiving my B.A., I married a German and have been here ever since (26 years!!). I have three children who are now 25, 23 and 19 years old.

At the end of the 1990’s I read the first article in the newspaper about the concept of developing a new international university in Bremen. I knew at once that if this concept was realized, it was the place where I wanted to work. I followed the development of Jacobs University throughout the first years and was finally given a position as Financial Aid Officer in October 2003. In July of this year, I became Coordinator of Student Financial Services. The past three years have been full of ups and downs, but it has been a pleasure and a challenge dealing with students from all over the world.

When I was asked to become an Honorary Member of Mercator College, I hesitated. Working full time makes it hard enough to find time for my family and household, not to mention personal time. However, I accepted because Jacobs University is more than just financial aid and student accounts for me. It’s a community where not only students are learning, but where everyone else involved is learning as well. It’s just plain rewarding, getting to know you and helping at least a little bit along the way.

I may not be able to attend every event, but I will certainly do my best to become an active part of Mercator life!

Some more information on Mrs. Trey you can find here.