Kersten is a sixth-year graduate student in Germanic Studies. His first encounter with Texas German was at the Vereinskirche museum in Fredricksburg, TX, where his conversation with a local native-speaker of German intrigued him. Kersten's interest in German as a subject of study and intellectual inquiry dates back to his school days in Germany, where he was exposed to a great variety of German literary works. Kersten uses his spare time to socialize with his wife and friends, watch movies, read books and newspapers, and listen to music.
