FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
OCONOMOWOC, WI – June 4, 2018. Oconomowoc High School (OHS) Junior Octavia Buschhaus, daughter of Rosemary and Karl Buschhaus of Summit, and German student of OHS German teachers Nicole Moser and Christele Schwerer has been accepted into the Nationally Recognized Goethe Institut, for her extraordinary work in the German language.
Buschhaus has been offered a scholarship to further her studies in the German Language and Culture, and this scholarship is the result of a thorough interview process. The Study Bridge Program, or “Studienbrücke Deutschland” is a program that is designed to provide oral and subject-matter-specific preparation for students in their junior year of high school wishing to study in Germany. Students also need to demonstrate knowledge of German at an A1 level and have outstanding achievements in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM subjects).
This fully supported grant will start in June 2018, with the online language course to prepare for Summer Camp, when Buschhaus will travel to Göttingen, Germany, in August 2018. During this first milestone, Buschhaus will take the A2 exam and get a first impression of how German language schools run. Following that experience, she will begin her senior year of high school at OHS and participate in extracurricular language courses to pass the B1 exam, the second milestone in the program.
Buschhaus plans on taking full advantage of all offerings and attending a fully funded year in Germany in the fall of 2019. “It is an amazing opportunity. I found out about this through my German teacher, and I had already visited the University of Freiburg when I went on my GAPP exchange trip in summer 2017. I have been interested in studying in Germany for a long time, and I feel fortunate to have earned this scholarship and the opportunity to travel abroad again,” said Buschhaus.
OHS German Teacher Frau Schwerer stated, “It is a great honor for Octavia to have been selected as 1 of 22 nationally recognized participants. She will be an extraordinary representative of Oconomowoc High School and the entire community.”
The most exciting part of the program begins after graduating from high school when Buschhaus plans to move to Germany, spend a gap year with a German host family and join a German High School (Gymnasium). This program is an important step to help fellows adapt and learn about the German academic and social culture, to understand daily life, and immerse in the German language.
Study Bridge fellows will also participate in pre-preparation courses to get ready for one of the German partner universities, including pass the required tests, the last milestone of the program. After two years, students will not only improve their language level up to the B2/C1 level, their STEM-skills, be ready to start university, but they will also build a vast network with other students in Germany. They will be experts in intercultural sensibilities and ambassadors between the cultures.
###
About German Course Levels:
German coursework and exams are broken in course levels A1-C2. Elementary use of the language fall under levels A1 and A2, independent language use are achieved in levels B1 and B2, and autonomous language ability is acquired when individuals complete levels C1 and C2.
About Goethe-Institut:
The Goethe-Institut is the Federal Republic of Germany’s cultural institute, active worldwide. They promote the study of German abroad and encourage international cultural exchange. To find more information online, please visit: www.goethe.de/usa/studybridge
Submitted Photo: Octavia Buschhaus
