Arlo Plumb ’25 was sitting in his dining room, putting off chemistry homework, when an unfamiliar Pennsylvania number appeared on his phone. He usually didn’t answer calls from numbers he didn’t recognize, but something told him to pick up.
The person on the other end had interviewed him months earlier for the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange. She was calling to tell him he had been selected.
“I completely had my mind made up,” Arlo recalled. “I ran into the other room and told my mom. I didn’t even say I got accepted. I told her, ‘I’m going to Germany next year.’”
That phone call led to an academic year that took Arlo from Lancaster to Hamburg, into a German high school and eventually to the German Bundestag in Berlin. It also helped the 2026 McCaskey graduate decide what he wants to pursue next.
The Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange, known as CBYX, is a full scholarship program jointly funded by the U.S. Congress and the German Bundestag. American students spend an academic year living with host families and attending school in Germany, while German students have the opportunity to do the same in the United States.
The program was created in 1983 to strengthen relationships between the two countries through cultural exchange. More than 30,000 students have participated since its founding, developing language, leadership, communication and problem-solving skills while experiencing everyday life in another country.
Arlo’s interest in language began long before his year abroad. A lifelong School District of Lancaster student, he attended Wharton Elementary School and participated in the Spanish dual-language immersion program from kindergarten through eighth grade. When he arrived at McCaskey, he decided to try something new and began studying German.
During his sophomore year, his German teacher introduced him to CBYX and encouraged him to apply.
“I’m very thankful for that,” Arlo said. “She’s one of my favorite teachers at McCaskey.”
His experience began with an orientation in Washington, D.C., where students learned about the program, received resources for the year ahead and visited the offices of their congressional representatives. Arlo met with members of U.S. Rep. Lloyd Smucker’s staff and spoke with them about the role programs such as CBYX play in maintaining international relationships.
The students then traveled to Hamburg for language camp. Arlo lived in a hostel in northern Hamburg and commuted about 45 minutes by public transportation to language classes in the city center. The classes were conducted entirely in German.
“Our teachers would not answer us if we asked questions in English,” he said. “Everything was taught in German. That was very helpful.”
Although Arlo arrived with three years of classroom experience, students don’t need to know German before applying. Participants take a placement test and receive instruction based on their proficiency level.
After language camp, Arlo moved in with a host family and began attending a German school. His classes, friendships and extracurricular activities all became part of the immersion experience. He spent time exploring Christmas markets, attending medieval festivals, hiking and taking day trips with his host families.
His second host family included seven children, giving Arlo seven younger host siblings after growing up with one older brother.
“There was always something going on that I had never thought of before or never thought of doing,” he said. “You get to explore a lot of different options.”
Living abroad also required Arlo to manage his schedule, take care of his daily needs and adjust to unfamiliar expectations. By the end of the year, he felt far more comfortable taking on challenges that once might have seemed intimidating.
“That mental block of thinking, ‘I can’t do this’ or ‘surely it’s too hard,’ just doesn’t really exist anymore,” he said. “I know I have to work toward it, and I know how to do that.”
The experience also changed how he examines the world around him. Germany’s public transportation system, for example, prompted him to think more closely about how infrastructure, economics and social habits influence the way communities develop.
“It’s much harder to see something only at face value,” he said. “You’re able to look at the background and analyze it better.”
At the end of the program, the scholarship recipients reunited in Berlin for seminars and time to reflect on their year. They also visited the Bundestag and met with German representatives, bringing Arlo’s experience full circle.
He returned to Lancaster with greater confidence, stronger German skills and a clearer idea of his future. This fall, Arlo will attend the University of British Columbia, where he hopes to study international relations and minor in German. He is also learning French and Russian.
His long-term goal is to become a diplomat and work in global policy. “Before this program, I didn’t really have a defined idea,” he said. “Now I’m pretty certain that I want to work in diplomacy.”
Arlo hopes other students will give CBYX serious consideration, even if studying abroad feels far outside their comfort zone. German language experience isn’t required, and the scholarship covers the major costs associated with the program.
“You definitely should apply,” he said. “It’s always worth trying new things.”
He offered similar advice to students who haven’t decided what they want to do after graduation.
“There’s plenty of time to figure it out,” Arlo said. “Experiences like this give you time for self-discovery and help you figure out what works for you, who you want to spend time with and how you want to spend your time.”
Students interested in the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange can learn more at usagermanyscholarship.org.