1. Michael Kendall, WISP Scholarship recipient, Summer 2003

"I am very pleased to announce that Michael Kendall is one of ten students selected nationally to receive a WISP scholarship.  He was a student in my German 201 class in Fall 2002 when he applied for the WISP Summer Scholarship in Germany. He sent in his application beg. December 2002 and was notified at the end of January 2003, after going through several telephone interviews. This is a great accomplishment on his part and I am very proud, as his teacher, to have been able to help him achieve his goal. I wish him well and hope he has a wonderful time in Germany." M. Akins

After his return, Michael told me how much he learned from this experience, how many new friendships he made, how he was able to travel to different countries and how much fun he had....all in German! Michael has made his email address available, for anyone wanting to contact him about his experience: mikeengftf@hotmail.com

Michael about himself:

"My major is Bioengineering and my plans are to transfer to UCSD, where I will finish school with a BS in Bioengineering and a minor in Economics. I had always possessed a desire to learn a second language, for personal and professional reasons, and German seemed to be the most beneficial.

It was hard though, pursuing a difficult major and trying to learn German at the same time. This is where WISP entered my life with a solution: go to Germany to gain experience in my field. With this program, I was able to combine both goals while participating in an experience of a life-time. CDS offers several different programs besides WISP and it is not the only organization out there. 

I would recommend and advise anyone interested to search for a program that suits their schedule and goals. Once you find something that you would want to participate in, do what you need to do to be successful. I was required to write several documents including a resume, Lebenslauf, essay, fill-out an application and obtain three letters of recommendations but the outcome was well worth all the work.                                                                                                       

Thanks again to you, Frau Akins, for your hard work as well." M. Kendall

2. Mitch Lazerus, WISP Scholarship recipient, Summer 2004

"I am delighted to announce that Mitch L. is the recipient of this year's WISP scholarship. Mitch was a student in my German 201 class in Fall 2003, when he applied for this scholarship. I am very proud of him too and wish him well and I'm looking forward to hearing from him after he returns." M. Akins

Mitch has returned from Germany with wonderful stories to tell about his experiences in Schwäbisch-Hall, where he took intensive language classes at the local Goethe Institute, and Friedrichshafen, where he completed his 2-months internship.

While in Germany, he also traveled to Köln and Münich, met a lot of people, learned a lot of German and had lots of fun.

You may contact Mitch at: mrl777@lycos.com

3. Matt Geudtner, WISP Scholarship recipient, Summer 2006

" Matt is this year's recipient of the WISP scholarship. Matt is currently a student in my German 102B class and was in my German 102A class when he applied in Fall 2005. I am very proud of Matt and wish him the best for his future. This will be a wonderful experience for him, as it has been for the two previous winners. " M. Akins

More about Matt later......