About Travel-DingCinnati

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 Guten Tag!  My love for all things German began in 1987 when I visited Germany as an exchange student for the first time.  I had already hosted twice before going, which meant that I got to stay longer and also visit 2 families.  Each family was very different from the other and I got to see two totally different ways of life which I found very fascinating.  

After High School, I attended the University of Cincinnati and majored in German studies.  Part of the way through, I had the opportunity to live with a family in Graz, Austria as an au pair for a year.  I came back and studied a little more until I participated in the National Work Study Program in Hamburg, Germany.  I was there for 5 months total.  We had language courses, a 2 weeklong trip around all of Germany, and then worked at different jobs.  I worked at a real estate investment company and got to visit many properties in Hamburg.

I spent a few years working at various places, Delta Airlines International ticketing for one.  After the recession of 2008, I went back to school at Xavier, got my master's in education and was fortunate enough to land a job teaching German at Oak Hills.  The best part was that they had a long-time running exchange program with Dingolfing, Germany.  I have been taking kids there since 2013.  It has been such a rewarding experience to see the look on the kids' faces when they actually experience the cool things that we talk about in class.

I am also a 20 plus year member of the Germania Society of Cincinnati.  I always run the bar and student field trips to our events.  We have enjoyed many years of seeing students grow up and come back to the events and say to Frau Schott and me, “Oh, the Dingolfing trip was the best time of our lives, I wish I could go back someday!”  Well, we decided to do something about it and started the first “Reunion Tour” in the summer of 2024.  It was incredible to see the students all grown up, married and wanting to share their German experiences with their spouses, parents, and even siblings as they got to show them Dingolfing, and even meet up with their friends and host families!

 Hallo! My name is Eva Schott McMasters, and my love for all things German began in 1984 during a high school exchange, an experience which was encouraged by my two inspiring German teachers who sparked my passion for language, culture, and connection.

That inspiration led me to become a German teacher myself. When I joined the Oak Hills community, I was incredibly fortunate to land at a school that already had an established exchange program—an absolute dream come true!

Over the past 30 years, I’ve traveled to Germany with hundreds of students with the Oak Hills–Dingolfing Exchange. I’ve had the privilege of watching young people grow in confidence, curiosity, and global awareness as they experience Germany, its culture and people for the first time.

These moments of wide-eyed wonder, new friendships, and cultural encounters are the highlight of my year and the motivation behind my determination to help more people experience this charming corner of the world. And now, in my next chapter, I can’t wait to share that same sense of discovery with you!