LONG BEACH - Yanalte De Haro, a double major in German studies and studio art at California State University, Long Beach (CSULB), has been awarded an undergraduate scholarship from the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD).DAAD is the German national agency for the support of international academic cooperation. It offers programs and funding for students, faculty, researchers and others in higher education, providing financial support to more than 50,000 individuals a year. DAAD also represents the country's higher education system abroad, promoting Germany as an academic and research destination and helping to build ties between institutions around the world. "I am very excited to have received the DAAD scholarship because without it I would not be able to live out my dreams of studying abroad," said De Haro, who plans to graduate from CSULB with her bachelor of arts degrees in spring 2013. "Ever since I first learned that I could study in another country I have been determined to make it happen. I am very thankful to the DAAD for selecting me as a recipient." The Undergraduate Scholarship program is aimed at students who want to spend part of their third or fourth year of college in Germany. The grantees stay anywhere from a semester to a full academic year to study, perform an internship or conduct a senior thesis. De Haro will spend the 2011-12 academic year in Germany but will divide up her study abroad experience between two different institutions. During the first semester, she will study German at the University of T?ºbingen and, during her second semester, she will transfer to the Academy of Art and Design in Stuttgart to study her other major, studio art. She leaves for Germany on Aug. 31 and expects to return in July 2012. De Haro believes one reason for her selection as a DAAD recipient was her project proposal. "It was very specific about what I wanted to do and learn while I was in Germany," she said. "I explained my reasons for learning German and my desire to immerse myself in another culture and learn about the art there. I think it helped that I had a good GPA and was active in clubs on campus like Campus Scouts." De Haro first heard about the DAAD scholarship from her Hogan High School German teacher, Andrea Marek. "I remember looking at the guidelines and thinking I would never get this scholarship. It seemed too good, to be true," she explained. After graduation in 2013, De Haro looks forward to travel and volunteer work abroad with thoughts of joining the Peace Corps or AmeriCorps.

********** Published: August 25, 2011 - Volume 10 - Issue 19