Crystal Lake South Senior Earns Full Scholarship to Germany

From District 155: Maximilian Bradford, a senior at Crystal Lake South High School, earned a full scholarship to study in Germany through the Language Institute. The acceptance rate is about ten percent and only 15-25 students in the United States receive the Study Bridge Award.

“I got the email and I didn’t open it. I just sat there with the phone on the table, waiting for the period to end. Then I opened it and saw the third word was congratulations,” Bradford said.

Bradford said this will ease the financial burden of college.

“They are paying for my flights, they have given me free tutoring, free lessons from the Goethe-Institut, free testing, free housing and free food. I really don’t think you can put a money label on it,” said Bradford.

He has been taking German all four years of high school and his German teacher, Jeff Delzell, told him about the chance to study abroad in 2017 and shared this scholarship opportunity with him.

“Max has been throwing himself into new situations, he tries to get out of his comfort zone, and is always trying to prepare himself for the next step. He is a dedicated self-learner, he can bridge any gaps in his knowledge to make sure he is ready for whatever comes next,” said Jeff Delzell, German teacher and international studies division leader.

Last summer, Bradford traveled to Germany for an intensive study camp for two weeks to perfect his grammar, fluency, and vocabulary. The Study Bridge application process was a series of fluency tests to see whether Bradford performed his speaking skills accurately. Students have to pass multiple fluency tests otherwise they are dropped from the program. Once he passed those tests he was admitted to a high school, and will receive a host family who he will stay with for the next year.

Bradford will complete one more year of high school in Germany and then attend a German university where he plans to study natural science. The universities that are partnered with the program are technical universities for engineering and science.

Bradford plans to leave for Germany in August and he will start school in September.

Image Via District 155