Graduate Lands Competitive International Fellowship

Recent graduate lands competitive international fellowship

By Megan Shadrick C intly Guzman Hernandez is one of 75 Americans selected for the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange for Young Professionals.

The Honors College student who graduated with a degree in chemistry will spend about nine months in Germany, studying the language and participating in an internship to learn more about the country’s recycling and environmental programs. She hopes to bring her new knowledge back to Chattanooga to help the city in the future.

“I’ve met German people but it’s easier and faster to learn about their culture and language by being immersed in it,” she says.

The fellowship begins with language school for two months and continues with four months of study in the student’s respective field. About 540 people from the United States applied to participate in this highly competitive program. The application process includes references, writing a short essay and having experience in your field.

The program chooses students with clear career goals, relevant experience and a strong interest in German and world affairs. Hernandez is a fan of all things German. Her father has worked for German companies most of his life and she says she’s developed an appreciation for the country through the many German people she has met.

Hernandez credits her research and interview preparation, as a few of the factors as to why she got the internship, but her mentor Gretchen Potts, UC Foundation professor of chemistry also gave her a leg-up.

“Dr. Potts was a great mentor. She was really helpful in helping me gain experience in my field.” n