GENESEO, N.Y. – Graduating senior Ben Conard from East Setauket, N.Y., has received the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange for Young Professionals (CBYX) fellowship, funded by the German Bundestag and U.S. Congress.
The fellowship annually provides 75 American and 75 German young professionals the opportunity to spend one year in each other’s countries, where they study and live with hosts on a cultural immersion program. The two legislative bodies created CBYX as a public diplomacy program to promote understanding between the people of the United States and Germany. The program is open to candidates in all career fields interested in a year of cultural exchange.
"I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to study fair trade, entrepreneurship, and innovation in Germany,” said Conard. “Working in these fields will be an exciting experience as Germany is an internationally recognized leader in these movements."
Conard, a business administration major and German minor, will spend eight weeks studying German at the Carl Duisberg Centrum language school. Following completion of the language phase, he will relocate to a permanent placement location for the remainder of the program, where he will immerse himself in German daily life and culture through studying and later interning in his career field.
“Ben was absolutely the perfect candidate for this award,” said Cynthia Klima, associate professor of German, Slavic and Humanities, who advised Conard on the fellowship. “There was no doubt in my mind that Ben would ace the Congress-Bundestag interview and capture this award. His poise in every presentation he has ever done, combined with the ease with which he can speak in German, whether it be a topic on Fair Trade or German cultural history, made him a shoo-in. He led the German Club, the Juggling Club and the Fair Trade Club, so his leadership skills are just spot on. He is a wonderful representative for SUNY Geneseo, the School of Business and the Department of Languages and Literatures."
Conard has been involved with a variety of additional high-impact experiences this year to supplement his academic program. He was among four Geneseo students who attended the Clinton Global Initiative University (CGIU) meeting in April, where he and another team member presented on their project, “Five North,” an initiative committed to alleviating poverty, fighting child labor, and promoting gender equality in the workforce. He also was a member of Geneseo’s VentureWorks entrepreneurship team that participated in both this year’s and last year’s finals of the New York State Business Plan Competition.
Conard will be traveling to Mexico City later this month to present at the 2016 GALA Conference at Tecnológico de Monterrey on “The 21st Century Entrepreneurial College Campus: And a Commitment to Social Entrepreneurship.” He also was the sole nominee from the United States in a Fairtrade International contest to recognize the “Biggest Fairtrade Fan” in the world for 2016. In addition, his TEDx Geneseo talk on fair trade – the first-ever TEDx event at Geneseo -- has receive more than 10,000 views
Media Contact:
David Irwin
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Irwin@geneseo.edu