MONROE — A Monroe high school student is preparing to spend her senior year in Germany, under a prestigious study abroad program sponsored by Congress and the German Bundestag. And she has a Turkish exchange student to thank for the inspiration.
McKenzie Lomeli, 17, said the idea for spending the year abroad came from another foreign student at Monroe High School on an exchange visit here from faraway Turkey.
“She pushed it on me but I really loved her for it,” said Lomeli, referring to Nazlihan Yamrukaya, the other exchange student.
Now Lomeli, who also is a German language student, is waiting to find out exactly where she will reside in Germany and with whom. The wait for a host family and location assignment isn’t easy, according to Lomeli
“It’s kind of nerve racking for all of us” she said, as she prepared to drive Yamrukaya to the airport in Chicago for her flight home to Turkey. “I’ll probably find out when I land at the airport in Germany.”
Similar to the U.S. Congress, the Bundestag is elected every four years by German citizens and meets at the Reichstag in the German capital, Berlin. The program sponsored by the two legislatures is a major source of cooperation between them.
It’s designed to strengthen ties between U.S. and German youth, “improve their career skills through formal study and work experience, and expand their perspectives and awareness of each other’s culture, society, history, and politics,” according to the program web site.
Her mother, Kristal Gille, said she fully supports her daughter’s trip overseas.
“As any parent we want our children to grow up and be happy and live their dreams,” Gille said. “McKenzie has worked hard and found love is not only the language but also the culture. She has made me proud as her mom of her accomplishments and goals and I can’t wait for her upcoming experience in Germany.”
Lomeli said the application process for the program included a letter and essays about why she wanted to participate. Students are not only expected to learn in German schools but to work in any way possible to improve the image of their respective countries.
“As citizen ambassadors, American CBYX participants represent the spirit, values, and diversity of the United States,” said a statement on the program’s web site. “Similarly, German participants acquaint Americans with German culture and perspectives. In both directions, participants and communities benefit from mutual understanding and the sharing of ideas.”
Lomeli said she’ll miss home and her classmates for senior year at this point, can’t wait to head overseas. “I like trying new things, seeing new things,” she said. “I like it here; this is home but it’s a big world to explore. I was going to try to do it after college, but I figured, why not now?”
