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Have you wondered what it might be like to study in a foreign country, work there, and get involved in the community as well? The Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange Program for Young Professionals is a unique program for students to do just that. The program allows German vocational students to come the United States to study and U.S. students, mostly from two-year community colleges, to travel abroad. Aside from attending class, participants work in their Career field of interest and get involved in community service.

Kristin Guellmar, 22, of Nordhausen, Germany spent last year in the program. She attended County College of Morris in (Randolph, NJ). Kristin had been in a publishing apprenticeship in Germany and was able to carry that interest over to her studies and work experience here.

Kristin's Story
"I decided to apply for the Congress- Bundestag Youth Exchange Program for Young Professionals to get insight on living in a foreign country, improve my English skills, and gain experience working for one of the world's biggest media companies, Bertelsmann," begins Kristin. "More than 6,000 people applied for the program, 300 were invited to test, and 100 got the chance to participate. That means I was fairly lucky to be selected. When I received all the forms to fill out and a letter of acceptance, I was so happy! I really looked forward to leaving Germany and then taking new impressions back home one year later.

"Although it was a challenge to leave my friends and family, I had a really nice host family in the states. When you come to a foreign place and have people who trust you, invite you to parties, take you on trips, and celebrate Christmas and your birthday with you... you don't feel so alone.

"Before coming here, I had no idea what American College life was like. I enrolled in a two-year college, a type of school you wouldn't find in Germany.

"While here, I took classes in English conversation, American government, journalism, editing and design, and multimedia. I also selected course subjects where I was able to work with journalists and designers. When I finished, I realized how much these professionals do and sometimes how exhausting it can be when the publisher says 'I want to have this this way!' or 'Can we make this change and include this picture?' I appreciate their job more than I did before.

"Because of all I learned, I really enjoyed my educational experience. I was especially happy with the fact that professors have office hours and are available to field questions over the Internet. What did surprise me, however, was the difference in how profs here grade. It's much harder in Germany to earn an A or B than it is in the U.S.

"We don't have a credit system in Germany. Instead, we have to take certain written exams, which we must pass. If you don't, the exam has to be retaken within six months, and if you fail again, you're out -- no second chances! You can't even go to another university to try it again. You have to start again with a new major!

"Besides school, work is another part of the exchange program. In 1997, I finished high school, and worked as a publishing apprenticeship until June 2000. The German newspaper group I worked for owns some shares in a television station, and Bertelsmann does, too, so that was the bridge for my getting transferred to Bertelsmann in New York.

"I had my job even before I came to this country. Everything was perfectly organized, so I knew what I would do here and what would be expected of me before I even embarked on my journey."I am now working for Random House Value Publishing, part of the Bertelsmann Media Group, where I organize meetings involving book cover design and reprint decisions. I also attend sales meetings and participate in other activities.

"Aside from my office responsibilities, the program also requires 20 hours of community service, which is actually a great way to connect with new people and get involved in special services. Last fall, I spent three weeks volunteering for the Republican Headquarters in Morristown, NJ. While there, I met Representative Rodney Frelinghyusen, and the former Republican candidate for the Senate, Bob Franks. In my country, I am the chairperson of a political youth organization, so in helping out here, I learned much about another area that interests me -- politics.

"I will return to school in Germany in another month to study customer relationship management. My newspaper group in Germany recruited me to attend an academy to get my bachelor's degree in Business. In addition, I was offered short-term internships in Hungary and Bulgaria. "I think that participating in this  

study abroad program

  helped me secure these impressive opportunities. It was really something special -- a truly worthwhile experience."

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