The WW Voice Congratulates WWPHSS Alumni, Miren Rudorfer, Recipient of the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange Scholarship

The U.S. Department of State and AFS-USA are pleased to announce that Miren Rudorfer of West Windsor ( High School South 2023 ) has been selected for the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange (CBYX) scholarship for the 2023-2024 academic year. 

CBYX is a bilateral exchange program of the U.S. Congress and German Bundestag (Parliament). The program is administered by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs through non-profit implementing partners such as AFS-USA.  

Miren Rudorfer will spend the academic year in Germany living with a host family and attending high school. The program will start in August when Miren travels to Germany for a one-month intensive German language program. Over the course of the year, Miren will share a bit of West Windsor with their hosts in the suburbs of Hamburg, Germany. 

In addition to their role as citizen diplomats, CBYX participants also visit the German Bundestag, meet with German government officials, and explore the beauty and diversity of Germany.  Upon return to the United States at the conclusion of the exchange program in Germany, the participants will meet with their elected representatives on Capitol Hill. 

While Miren is in Germany, a group of young German CBYX participants will spend a year in the United States. This allows American communities to get to know Germany without leaving home. Schools and families who volunteer to host these German youth help strengthen the U.S. relationship with Germany and showcase their community to international audiences. U.S. citizens interested in bringing a bit of Germany to their community should reach out to AFS-USA at CBYX@afsusa.org. 

While each exchange year is unique, over the last forty years the program has positively changed the life trajectories for thousands of American young people. Find out about how the CBYX program builds the skills of American participants in the recently completed independent evaluation (full report). For more information about CBYX, visit exchanges.state.gov/cbyx or contact AFS-USA at CBYX@afsusa.org. 

Applications for the fully funded 2024-2025 academic year will open in August 2023. German language skills are not required to apply for the scholarship. To learn more about hosting an international high school exchange student coming to the Mercer county area for the 2023-2024 academic year, please visit www.afsusa.org/host-family/. 

The U.S. Department of State’s recent media note about the CBYX program is here.   

About The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Exchanges:  The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) promotes international mutual understanding through a wide range of academic, cultural, professional, and sports exchange programs.  

ECA 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 ECA exchanges comprise over one million people around the world, including more than 50 Nobel Laureates and more than 350 current or former heads of state and government.  More information on their programs can be found at http://exchanges.state.gov.     

About AFS-USA: AFS began as a volunteer ambulance corps created in 1915 and was transformed from a wartime humanitarian aid organization into a groundbreaking international secondary school exchange, volunteer, and intercultural learning organization with a bold mission: to help build a more peaceful world by promoting understanding among cultures. 

75 years later, the AFS Mission continues to respond to the needs of an increasingly complex world, offering programs abroad in 40+ countries and hosting international students from more than 80 countries. True to the spirit of our founders, these life-changing intercultural learning programs are made possible by the dedicated work of AFS Volunteers – more than 3,000 in the U.S. and over 50,000 worldwide. AFS programs foster transformation that lasts a lifetime. 

Today’s exchange students are tomorrow’s changemakers: diplomats; thought leaders; influencers in the international business and non-profit communities. Every new exchange student is another global citizen n progress – an individual primed to help build a more just and peaceful world. And the impact doesn’t stop with the students. Host families’ lives are transformed by new members from across the globe and host communities gain a greater cultural diversity. 

More information can be found at www.afsusa.org.