The Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE), a nonprofit study abroad and intercultural exchange organization, recently announced that Gunnar Morgan, a graduate of Rochester High School, has been awarded the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange (CBYX) Scholarship for the 2025-2026 academic year.
CBYX is a bilateral exchange program co-sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and German Bundestag (Parliament).
As one of 210 American high school students from across the United States chosen to be a CBYX scholar, Morgan will spend the academic year in Germany living with a host family, attending a German high school and participating in a language and cultural training program to gain a better understanding of German culture, language and everyday life, according to a news release.
Additionally, there will be the chance to visit the German Bundestag, meet with American and German government officials, participate in intercultural seminars, and explore the country through excursions to nearby cities and historical sites.
Each year, as a U.S. Department of State partner, CIEE awards the fully-funded CBYX scholarship to 105 high-achieving high school students from 23 states, Washington, D.C., the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, allowing youth from a wide variety of communities to participate in a full cultural immersion experience.
The CBYX program, which is jointly funded by the U.S. Congress and the German Bundestag, was created to foster mutual understanding and strengthen ties between Germany and the U.S. through citizen diplomacy. The program is a public‐private partnership, leveraging the contributions of host families, educational institutions and local communities.
Since its inception in 1983, the program has allowed more than 29,000 students to expand their intercultural understanding, strengthen their leadership skills and become global citizens, the release stated. Many participants go on to study at top colleges and universities, and all participants become part of a global network of U.S. Department of State program alumni.
For more information about CBYX, visit exchanges.state.gov/cbyx or contact CIEE at 800-448-9944.
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 Centralia area for the 2025-2026 academic year, visit www.ciee.org/host-families.
