SLLC Student Awarded CBYX Scholarship

Annelise Myers, a senior Germanic Studies and Animal Science double major at the University of Maryland, was awarded the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange for Young Professionals (CBYX) scholarship for the 2011-2012 academic year.

 

Funded by the United States Congress and the German Bundestag, CBYX provides fully funded yearlong study abroad opportunities for 75 undergraduate American students for study in Germany and 75 undergraduate German students for study in the U.S. The program consists of an initial two-month intensive language instruction period, one semester enrollment in university courses, and a five-month internship period in participants’ field of study. CBYX strives to celebrate and strengthen diplomatic relations and shared values between Germany and the United States.

 

As a CBYX fellow, Myers currently studies in Germany at the Neubrandenburg University of Applied Sciences within the Department of Agriculture. An aspiring large-animal veterinarian, Myers focuses on dairy cattle nutrition, farm animal behavior, and livestock breeding in addition to interning at the Leibniz-Institut für Nutztierbiologie (Leibniz Institute for Farm Animal Biology) in Dummerstorf. Myers uses German in both her coursework and internship.

 

While Myers originally began German at UMD as a Germanic Studies minor, she says, “I had such great professors and experiences that I decided to switch to a German major.  I find the German Department faculty to be very supportive, and I am pleased that I chose to study German at College Park.” Myers’ study abroad experience with CBYX certainly won her over as well, as Myers is currently exploring post-graduation plans in Germany. She explains, “Because of my interest in the German language and my experience in this CBYX program, I am considering studying veterinary medicine in Germany in one of their six vet schools.  It would be a great challenge to prepare for taking classes in a foreign language, but I have always tried to combine my passions in animal science and German, and this seems to be a great opportunity to do so.”

 

Immersed in the culture and language of Germany as a CBYX fellow and cultural ambassador, Myers also says, “It is freeing to know another language, and it is a great introduction to understanding and communicating with another culture.”