By Mackenzie Clark
Joanna Swieton, fashion design student, is in her third year at the college. Next year she won’t be returning because she received an award that will allow her to work and study for a year in Germany.
The CBYX award comes from the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange Program, which selects career-oriented students from vocational fields in the U.S. as well as in Germany.
She said that she was “on the fence” at first and couldn’t make up her mind about whether to apply, but with her desire to learn a language fluently, the program became more enticing.
“I went [to Germany] for two weeks over the summer and I kind of fell in love with it,” she said. “And part of it has to do with my family history. My grandpa was from Germany and he was a tailor, so that was the first thing to spark my interest.”
The program will consist of two months of intensive German language school, a semester studying in a German university and an internship, which participants will have to find themselves. Swieton will live either with a host family or in shared living quarters.
Barbara Williams, administrative assistant, International Education, said that Swieton has been very active in the International Club.
“Through the club [Swieton] met some German students last year who were here, and I think that’s what really informed her about the program, as well as peaked her interest in learning the German language,” Williams said.
The college hosts German students from the program every year, and in recent years has sent students to study in Germany. Swieton is the first student from the college outside of the culinary program to receive this award.
Swieton said that missing her family and friends will be difficult, but she plans to stay distracted.
“Skype is a wonderful thing,” she said. “So that will help. And especially just really immersing myself there, because I want to take that opportunity and just enjoy it to its fullest, and just really be able to connect with the people that I meet there. […] Just being completely immersed in the culture and the language is what I’m really excited about.”
Swieton plans to finish her bachelor’s degree in design at Kansas State University and intends to continue pursuing her passions. She said she wants to design ladies’ eveningwear as well as casual clothes that are attractive and comfortable.
“Sort of my dream right now would be just to have a giant design studio, maybe somewhere in downtown Kansas City where I could collaborate with other designers, or just open it up to have other young designers come and be able to have a space to work on projects and sell them, and become established as designers,” she said.
For more information about the CBYX program and other available opportunities, contact Barbara Williams at bwilliam@jccc.edu.
Contact Mackenzie Clark, editor-in-chief, at mclark68@jccc.edu.