Matthew Tymchynyuk, a Syosset High School student, was among 210 American high school students awarded the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange scholarship for the 2025-2026 academic year. This scholarship will allow Tymchynyuk to spend 10 months studying abroad in Germany.
As part of the program, the 15-year-old rising junior will spend 10 months, starting in September, staying with a host family and learning German while attending a German high school.
Tymchynyuk said he has been to Germany before and “sort of just fell in love with the country,” which influenced his decision to apply to the program.
“I am most excited for learning the language,” Tymchynyuk said.
In addition to the language, Tymchynyuk said he is also looking forward to “the connection with the host family” and knowing that he will always have a second home with people he can rely on.
The mother of Tymchynyuk’s host family was a program participant herself, having come to the United States in 1994-1995. She said the program “completely changed her life,” according to Tymchynyuk.
The first four weeks of the program consist of an intensive language program in Hamburg, where program participants will learn German, according to Tymchynyuk.
Tymchynyuk is already a polyglot, knowing Spanish and Ukrainian in addition to English, but said he would love to learn German as a fourth language.
The Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange program is jointly funded by both the U.S. and German governments. It aims to embrace intercultural exchange and immerse young people in German culture.
The program, initiated in 1983, sends U.S. students to Germany and German students to the U.S., strengthening ties between the two nations, according to the program’s website.
The program is fully funded at no cost to program participants.
The Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange program also offers opportunities for individuals up to 24 years old. Since its inception, the program has had over 30,000 participants.
This year’s program participants will depart in September to live with their host families across Germany. Tymchynyuk’s host family lives in the Sachsen-Anhalt state, a suburban area an hour from Berlin.
Tymchynyuk said he went through multiple rounds of interviews during the application process, including an in-person interview in New York City. He was accepted into the program in late March.
At Syosset High School, Tymchynyuk is involved with the speech and debate team and the entrepreneurship and leadership club.
Tymchynyuk will return to the United States in June 2026 to finish out his senior year of high school.
In terms of his future career, Tymchynyuk said he is interested in someday working in international politics and government, possibly in diplomacy or foreign service.
