Computer Engineering student to participate in German training program
June 29, 2018
A senior computer engineering major will take part in a year-long German training program through the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange Program (CBYX).
Ryan Shoemake
Ryan Shoemake, a Laurel, Mississippi, native will join 75 American students and professionals to complete the three-phase program consisting of two months of intensive German language training at the Carl-Duisburg Centren, four months of classes in one’s respective academic or career field at a German university, and a five-month internship.
By the end of his second semester of German language classes at Mississippi State, Shoemake said he became so interested in the language that he decided to complete the remaining German courses in the sequence. However, he was eager to exercise his language skills in a larger way, which is why he began to research work study program in Germany.
“The CBYX program is a (mostly) funded enterprise with much longer language instruction and internship phases than other programs,” Shoemake said. “These factors, in addition to the semester of study at a German university, led me to believe this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity would provide the exposure to German language and culture which I sought and convinced me to apply.”
The Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange for Young Professionals is a fellowship funded by the German Bundestag and U.S. Department of State, that annually provides American and German young professionals, between the ages of 18-24, the opportunity to spend one year in each other’s countries, studying, interning, and living with hosts on a cultural immersion program.
Originally, over 650 students across the country submitted an application. Of those initial candidates, 150 were selected for an interview, and only 75 were chosen to participate in the program. Similarly, 75 German students and professionals were chosen to spend a year in the United States.
Although he may face challenges as he takes on his German endeavors, Shoemake said he is confident the five semesters of language instruction he received at MSU will guide him to success throughout the program.
“Participating in the CBYX program is a tremendous honor, and I am eager to serve as a cultural ambassador for both my state and my country,” Shoemake said.
The Bagley College of Engineering is online at www.bagley.msstate.edu and can be found on on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube at @msuengineering.
MSU is Mississippi’s leading university, available online at www.msstate.edu.
By: Devin Edgar