ABOVE: Thomas Hamlet will move forward in his academic journey, flying to Germany to attend school and stay with a host family for the 24-25 school year. Submitted photo.

FAIRMONT – Europe-bound; Thomas Hamlet is an incoming junior student at Seton Home Study, a Catholic home-schooling academy. The Fairmont native, in fall of last year, applied for the Congress Bundestag Youth Exchange (CBYX) scholarship, with administration by the Council of International Educational Exchange (CIEE). The scholarship is funded by the United States Congress and the German Bundestag.

By incredible chance, Hamlet is among the 250 American students to have the honor of engaging with the CIEE intercultural exchange program, earning a CBYX scholarship to continue schooling now in Germany. Hamlet will spend the 2024-2025 school year with a host family, attend a German school and dive into the language and culture of the country.

Hamlet explained that he heard about the opportunity from a family friend, who themselves had the chance to attend an educational exchange school year.

“My sister applied to it, too, so I decided to give it a shot. I needed two letters of recommendations, write a five paragraph essay and give general information about myself,” Hamlet said, describing the process to be considered for the recipient title.

Furthermore, Hamlet noted that he had an interest in European culture even prior to applying for the CBYX scholarship. Following submittal of his application, Hamlet was informed that he would advance to the semi-finals, which was held in Dallas and Baltimore. Because of the more convenient date, Hamlet chose to attend the latter. After his interviews at the semi-finals in Baltimore, Hamlet was then congratulated as an official CBYX scholarship recipient in early April by phone call.

“I was incredibly happy, it was so unbelievable,” Hamlet said with a smile, reflecting on his once-and-a-lifetime opportunity. After his one school year spent in Germany, Hamlet will not qualify to apply again. The experience is one-time and only applicable for high school students.

Hamlet vied amongst thousands of Americans throughout 18 states and regions for the scholarship, with the scholarship acceptance rate less than 2npercent, with only 250 students of thousands being selected to advance their studies abroad.

The CBYX Scholarship appeals to high-schoolers around the United States, especially to those with an interest in European lifestyle, offering a free-to-apply application and a chance to continue academic studies in Germany. Students, while schooling in the country overseas and living with their German host family are strongly encouraged to immerse themselves in the culture, the language (fluency is encouraged) and the lifestyle of the German citizens.

CIEE is the organization that oversees and administers the scholarship application and programming. CIEE aims to create international opportunities that invite individuals to learn, explore, grow, and unite others together. CIEE offers a variety of prestigious study abroad programs, from summer abroad journeys, high school, internships, gap years, college and custom programs for every intrigued student, worker, or teacher.

Hamlet shared he was looking forward to things in the country, such as learning the language, the culture and the big Christmas markets. As a soccer player himself, Hamlet was excited to be involved in soccer, as it’s the most popular sport in Germany. While some of his other traditional extracurriculars, such as speech and debate, might not be available in the other country, Hamlet expressed absolute delight about continuing academics in Germany, where he’ll adapt to a change in culture.

As of now, Hamlet’s host family, city and school is undetermined. The organization will select a host family and school for him. An organization sponsor, the U.S. Department of State, will cover the cost of travel for Hamlet when he makes the journey before the school year in August.

Hamlet encourages students who are interested in studying abroad to apply next year.

“If you’re interested, there’s no harm in applying,” he said.