Steuben Queen for 2023-24, Karina Thut

Karina Thut has been an active member of the German American Community Since she was three years of age.

She began at the Chicago Donauschwaben in the Kindergruppe and participated for 10 years until the age of thirteen. She followed by joining the Jugendgruppe and is still an active member of the dance group today. She was crowned Rosnkonigen in 2015, and has since helped teach the dances, and even helped choreograph a few of her own. Along with her parents, Karina is a member and on the committee of the Siebenburger Sachsen branch #9 Chicago.

Karina enjoys attending as many Cultural events as she can, even those causing her to travel to different states. She has created many memories that will last a lifetime and is forever grateful for the experiences she was able to enjoy because of this community. One of her favorite memories is of attending the Weltreffen in Hungary and Romania in 2019, through the Weltdachverband. She was able to have a firsthand look at her culture through the dances she learned, the food she ate, the people around her, and of course, the homemade Palinka!

Currently Karina is a DePaul University student and will be graduating in November with a Bachelor’s in business administration.