A high school student from Erie is one of 250 American high school students from across the United States to be awarded the prestigious Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange (CBYX) Scholarship for the 2024-25 academic year. 

CBYX is a bilateral exchange program of the U.S. Congress and German Bundestag (Parliament). The program is administered by the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. 

According to the U.S. Department of State and AFS-USA, Matthew DiPlacido and the other 249 students will be traveling from August 2024 to June 2025. Matthew is a student at McDowell. 

Matthew intends to spend the year in Germany living with a host family, attending a German high school, and participating in language learning and cultural immersion training to gain a better understand of German culture, language and everyday life. 

Additionally, Matthew may have opportunities to visit the German Bundestag, meet with American and German government officials, and go on excursions to nearby cities, historical sites and more. 

Representatives for the program say it was created to foster a mutual understanding and strengthen ties between Germany and the U.S. through citizen diplomacy. 

German students will be coming to live and study in the U.S. as well.

Many scholars go on to study at top colleges and universities according to the U.S. Department of State. 

More information on the program can be found here.