Two Florida State University students have been awarded the Maura Binkley scholarship, honoring the legacy of Maura Binkley, a former German and English major who was killed in 2018 when a gunman opened fire at a Tallahassee yoga studio.

The scholarship provides an opportunity for students to broaden their horizons and further their studies by studying abroad in Germany.

Jane Achenbach, music and linguistics double major, and Bailey Shine, a German major, are spending a semester on the Bergische Universität Wuppertal – FSU Exchange immersing themselves in the German language and culture.

“Jane and Bailey are exceptional students, and we are confident that they will make the most of this opportunity to study abroad and honor Maura’s legacy,” said Jesse Wieland, associate director of the Office of National Fellowships at Florida State University.

Achenbach felt a personal connection to the German language and culture that motivated her to study in Wuppertal, Germany.

“Firstly, I’m a music and linguistics double major, and German, is, of course, a very important language in music history,” Achenbach said. “We have a lot of famous composers and music theorists from Germany. Secondly, my last name is Achenbach. I have a family connection in the way back past to Germany, and Austria. My dad speaks German, my younger brother is learning German, and so I wanted to learn the language and the culture because it felt important to my family and me.”

On Nov. 2, 2018, FSU senior Maura, 21, and College of Medicine faculty member Dr. Nancy Van Vessem, 61, lost their lives in a mass shooting at a Tallahassee yoga studio. Five others — all with FSU connections — were injured before the gunman took his own life.

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