Auburn senior awarded fellowship for yearlong exchange program in Germany

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Brad Bayuga, a senior in the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering majoring in software engineering and minoring in German, has been awarded the Congress-Bundestag Exchange for Young Professionals Fellowship. This intensive international program, funded by the German Bundestag and U.S. Department of State, selects 75 American and 75 German young professionals between the ages of 18-24 to spend one year in each other’s country, studying, interning and living with host families.

While in Germany, Bayuga will attend a two-month intensive German language course in the city of Radolfzell, located on the shores of Lake Constance in southwest Germany. Following his language training, Bayuga will study at a German university, and then complete a five-month internship with a German company in his career field of software engineering and will have the opportunity to learn about everyday German life from a variety of perspectives.

“I am very grateful for this singular opportunity to study and work in Germany next year and I am grateful for my professors and the staff in the Office of International Programs and in the Honors College who have helped me advance to this stage of the program,” Bayuga said. “My experiences at Auburn have prepared me for my time in Germany and I look forward to applying my language and engineering skills in a German work environment.”

Originally from Huntsville, Alabama, Bayuga is currently working this summer as a software engineering intern at ExxonMobil in Houston, his second summer internship with the company.

In the summer of 2015, Bayuga participated in the College of Liberal Arts and Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures, Austria-Study Abroad Program in Vienna where he studied German at the Austro-American Institute.

“Brad applies his strong work ethic and dedication to every project and involvement opportunity that he does,” said Korbin Dimmick, study abroad coordinator in the Office of International Programs. “It has been exciting to see how his interests in engineering, multicultural perspectives and interpersonal networking have led to this incredible opportunity in Germany with the Congress-Bundestag Exchange Fellowship. This award is a great honor, and I wish Brad the very best for his year abroad.”

The Congress-Bundestag Exchange Fellowship is a reciprocal scholarship program. While Bayuga and his fellow U.S. participants spend their year living in Germany, 75 young German professionals will also be spending the year experiencing life in the United States. German participants study at U.S. colleges in the fall and work at local businesses in the spring, all while living with an American host throughout the year.

Conceived by members of the United States Congress and the German Parliament, or Bundestag, the Congress-Bundestag Fellowship is financially supported by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State under the authority of the Fulbright-Hays Act, and by the German Bundestag.

For additional information about the program, contact Paul Harris in the Honors College at paul.harris@auburn.edu.

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The Honors College at Auburn University is designed to provide a select cohort of high-ability students a means to experience, explore, engage and elevate their academic dreams. The college offers four types of graduation distinctions, smaller class sizes, priority registration, undergraduate research and internship opportunities, study and travel experiences, access to graduate-level courses, peer tutoring sessions, flexible curriculums and designated Honors housing and study areas. Students engage in an academically challenging set of courses and programs to provide a deeper understanding of the class material.