Parkview Student Heads to Germany on Scholarship

student Megan Alpert will soon be saying "auf Wiedersehen" to family and friends as she heads to Alzey, Germany, for almost a month of study and travel on a scholarship.

Alpert is one of three nationally selected for the scholarship by the American Association of Teachers of German. The stipend includes airfare from New York, a homestay with a German family and excursions to cultural and historical sites.

"I'm excited about living with a family and living as though I were German," said Alpert, who had tried for the scholarship in previous years. Two years ago, she took part in the Governor's Honor Program for German.

To be eligible for the scholarship, students had to score in the 90th percentile of a national exam. That was followed by answering essay questions, interviews with German professors and a letter to a host family.

"Your application stood out among the many strong applications from across the nation," Alpert was told in an email informing her of the scholarship award. "The selection committee found your achievements quite outstanding and was particularly impressed with your enthusiasm for German."

Alpert said when she got the email, she thought it was spam. "That can't be right," she remembers thinking. Then came the excitement and tears of joy. "I was crying. My parents didn't know what to think."

Alpert, who has never been to Germany, said she's looking forward to seeing Berlin and the Brandenburg Gate.