FIU senior wins cultural immersion experience in Germany

Timur Kuzibaev, a senior majoring in political science, has received a 2012-2013 Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange (CBYX) Program fellowship and will leave for Germany in July.

Kuzibaev was one of three FIU students invited to the final round of interviews for the program which was hosted at the Modesto A. Maidique campus on Feb. 9-10. The trio was among 150 young professionals interviewed at various locations across the country by CBYX staff, alumni, host families and other program supporters. Seventy-five finalists nationwide were ultimately selected to participate in the exchange program.

“I am honored to receive this fellowship,” Kuzibaev said. “The application process was lengthy but manageable. I felt nervous during the final interview and didn’t know what to expect. But I also felt prepared because I had sought guidance from my professors and from a previous CBYX participant.”

Each fellowship is valued at $25,000 and covers international airfare and partial living, travel and academic expenses. The program places winning students with a host family or a student dorm for a year. They participate in two months of intensive language training, a semester at a university or college, and a five-month internship in their career field.

“The CBYX will provide us with two months of language training, but I’m considering taking German classes while I’m still in the States,” Kuzibaev said. “My goal is to have full immersion in German culture, learn the language and intern at an agency that’s related to politics or the military.”

Kuzibaev will move to Germany in July. Upon graduating from the School of International and Public Affairs in 2013, Kuzibaev plans to apply to the FIU College of Law and specialize in international law.

“My passion for international relations began after I moved to the U.S.,” Kuzibaev said. “I was raised in Uzbekistan, a country were the government was corrupt and human rights were violated. I decided that I would dedicate myself to a career field where I would be able to protect and defend the liberties of people.”

CBYX is a reciprocal exchange program sponsored by the U.S. Congress, the German Bundestag, and the U.S. Department of State. It is designed primarily for young adults in business, technical, engineering, vocational and agricultural fields. Participants must be between the ages of 18-24 and have clear career goals and experience in their professional fields. German language ability is not required. Click here for application information for the 2013-2014 academic year.