Mahopac High School Sophomore Danica Parent is among a select group of students from across the United States who will have the opportunity to stay in Germany this summer thanks to their academic achievements.
“I scored in the top 10% of the country on the National German exam,” Parent said. “I answered essay questions in German, took tests, and had an interview with a native German speaker before I was selected.”
Of 12,300 applicants only 48 students were chosen for their outstanding academic achievements in German. In the summer, Parent will stay with a German host family in Kiel, Germany for four weeks. She will attend classes and get to see the country whose language she has studied for the past four years.
“One of the best parts about learning German at Mahopac has been the fact that I’ve had the same class and the same teacher ever since I started taking German in 7th grade,” Parent said. “My classmates are great, we learn really well together and Frau Bauerlein has helped me love to study the language.”
Parent isn’t just interested in being a tourist in Germany, either. To her, the exciting part about the trip is the opportunity to become immersed in day-to-day life in Germany.
“It’s going to be so cool to live like an actual German with a host family, attend classes, and just be a German for a little while.”