Student Named Youth Ambassador For German Exchange Program

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Woodstock resident Cecilia Webb, a sophomore at Sequoyah High School, has been selected as one of 250 youth ambassadors for the 2015-2016 school year by the U.S. State Department-funded Congress Bundestag Youth Exchange Program (CBYX).

This program has been in place for 30 years and is one of the most prominent exchange programs of its kind, funded jointly by Germany and the United States, with the goal of fomenting mutual cultural appreciation and cooperation.

Cecilia will live in Germany with a host family selected through the youth exchange program AFS for the yearlong immersion program. She will have the opportunity to visit with Congressional representatives in Washington, D.C., as well as members of the German Bundestag, or parliament.

Candidates for the scholarship must prepare a detailed application, including a letter to a potential host family. From this application, the committee selected students to participate in an overnight interview process with orientation activities for candidates and sessions with former participants. From the southeast region, 50 students were selected to participate.

Cecilia will fly to Washington, D.C. in August to meet with members of Congress and will then fly to Germany, where the first three weeks of the program will include an intensive language immersion class. Students will then be introduced to their host families and new homes where they will spend the rest of the academic year.

In the meantime, Cecilia will be trying to get ahead, taking Georgia’s required courses in independent study and in summer school, so that she will be able to graduate with her class upon her return.

“The sacrifice of being away from my family and having to cram in courses like U.S. History and American literature will be so worth it when I come home fluent in another language and understanding the world from a completely different point of view,” the student said. “My family is very supportive and my mom has always stressed the importance of travel to us. I am very excited and can’t wait to share my experiences.”

Photo credit: Cecilia Webb/Cherokee County School District