Alberta & Clarence Giese
Alberta and Clarence Giese were two of the original 23 American students who boarded the SS Volendamin 1950 to study abroad in Vienna, a journey that helped spark the founding of IES Abroad. Young newlyweds from Chicago, Clarence and Alberta were captivated by their year in Austria, an experience that transformed their lives and fueled their commitment to global education. Alongside Paul Koutny, they helped bring future cohorts of students abroad, playing a foundational role in the creation and expansion of IES Abroad. Alberta, a beloved presence at the IES Abroad Vienna Center for decades, became a pioneer in student affairs, offering warmth, guidance, and famously, her homemade brownies, to generations of students. She also led alumni engagement in Vienna, maintaining close ties with early program participants. In honor of their contributions, the Clarence & Alberta Giese Endowed Scholarship was established in2010 to support need-based student access to IES Abroad Vienna. The impact and legacy they built continues to shape the lives of students around the world.
“Mom and Dad returned from Vienna to Chicago in 1951, forever changed, buoyed, excited, inspired and determined to create an opportunity for other American students to dare the eye-opening journey of a world outside of their familiar and familial comfort zone. Today IES Abroad and the legacy of our parents continues, on an even larger global scale, to challenge American students to the life-changing riches of education, culture, and self-discovery that study abroad promises.”Sarah and Erika Giese, daughters of Clarence and Alberta Giese