The U.S. Department of State and Cultural Vistas are pleased to announce that Pacey Smith-Garcia is one of 74 Americans selected to study and work in Germany as part of the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange (CBYX) for Young Professionals program – now in its 41st year. The 2024-2025 CBYX Young Professionals cohort departs for Germany on July 26 and returns to the U.S. in June 2025. Participants come from a wide variety of career fields and from all over the U.S. This year about 500 young professionals vied for a spot in this prestigious program.
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 through non-profit implementing partners such as Cultural Vistas.
While in Germany, Pacey will attend a two-month intensive language course, study at a German university, and complete an internship in the field of journalism. Participants are usually placed with host families throughout Germany, where they act as citizen ambassadors of the United States, promoting a positive image of the U.S. abroad, creating lifelong friendships, and professional connections to enhance German-American relations.
While Pacey is in Germany, a group of 75 German CBYX participants will spend a year in the United States on a reciprocal exchange. German participants study at U.S. colleges and work at local businesses while living with American host families.
While each exchange year is unique, over the last 40 years, the program has positively changed the life trajectories for thousands of American young people.
For more information about CBYX, visit exchanges.state.gov/cbyx or contact Cultural Vistas at cbyx@culturalvistas.org. Applications for the fully funded 2025-2026 academic year will open in September 2024. German language skills are not required to apply for the fellowship. More information about the program, including eligibility requirements, can be found https://culturalvistas.org/our-programs/internships-fellowships/congress-bundestag-youth-exchange-for-young-professionals-cbyx.
Pacey is a graduate of San Manuel High School.