Rebecca W. Thomas, Communications Coordinator
334-399-4141
rebecca.thomas@acboe.net
Top Photo: Makenzie Walker (right) pictured with parents Chief Warrant Officer Jim Walker, Kansas Army National Guard and Cherilee Walker, PhD
Makenzie Walker, a Prattville High School student, was selected as a 2023-2024 Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange (CBYX) Scholarship recipient. As one of just 250 students chosen for this highly prestigious scholarship, Makenzie will immerse herself in German culture by living with a host family and attending a German high school for the next year. Through this program, she will learn about the similarities and differences between the two countries while gaining real-world perspectives on current affairs and German and American social, political, economic, and cultural life.
Initiated in 1983 to strengthen ties between Germany and the United States, the CBYX program is jointly funded and managed by the U.S. Congress and the German Bundestag as part of the President’s International Youth Exchange Initiative and in celebration of the 300th anniversary of German settlements in the United States. Since then, both national legislatures have renewed funding each year, enabling more than 27,000 American and German students to serve as citizen ambassadors. Youth For Understanding USA (YFU) administers the CBYX program in Alabama through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.
The CBYX selection process is rigorous, so being chosen shows that students have the personal and scholastic qualities needed to represent the United States in Germany. Makenzie has committed to the responsibilities of being a citizen ambassador, which is to promote mutual understanding and maintain a foundation of trust between the two countries. The program is a lynchpin in the governmental relationship and is designed to reinforce German-American friendship, affirm the shared common values, and forge lasting personal relationships among the young people of the two countries.
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About Autauga County Schools
Autauga County Schools (ACS) is a 14-campus public school system in Autauga County, Alabama, dedicated to fostering the whole student in an academically rigorous environment where everyone is known and valued by creating pathways designed for success. Learn more at acboe.net.
About The U.S. Department of State
The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs promotes international mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries through a wide range of academic, cultural, private-sector, professional, and sports exchange programs. The Bureau’s exchanges engage youth, students, educators, artists, athletes, and emerging leaders in many fields in the United States and in more than 160 countries. Alumni of State Department exchanges comprise one million people around the world, including more than 75 Nobel Laureates and more than 450 current or former heads of state and government. Visit eca.state.gov to learn more. For press inquiries, contact ECA-Press@state.gov.
About YFU
For learners of all ages who want a life-changing cultural exchange experience, Youth For Understanding (YFU) offers a wide range of opportunities to see the world up close. The global YFU network, consisting of partners in more than 70 countries, is united by the belief that curiosity about the world expands cultural awareness and acceptance of other ways to live, which leads to broader perspective and greater understanding. YFU’s unique intercultural exchanges open minds and hearts, enable learning that transforms lives, change the way you see the world and help to overcome stereotypes. Selected to administer more government and corporate scholarships than any other high school exchange program, YFU has remained a trusted leader of intercultural exchange programs since 1951 because of its commitment to safety, reputation for quality, and exceptional support services.
