蒙哥马利县社区学院 2024 graduate Katharine Boyle of Glenside is one of only 74 Americans selected from a pool of 500 young professionals to study and 在德国工作 Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange (CBYX) for Young Professionals 程序.

CBYX is a bilateral exchange 程序 of the U.S. 国会和德国联邦议院（议会）. 这个项目是由美国政府管理的.S. 国务院教育局 and Cultural Affairs and non-profit partners Cultural Vistas.

Boyle is thrilled to participate in the cultural 程序.

“When I received the email, I dropped my phone in shock,” said Boyle, who graduated 获得mcc的副学士学位 面包店 & 糕点艺术.  “The 程序 offers so many great opportunities.”

Having researched various exchange 程序s, Boyle, 20, chose to apply to CBYX to study German baking and pastry arts and to serve as a cultural ambassador, allowing her to “learn a new culture while sharing hers.”

她把这归功于中冶集团的烘焙 & 糕点艺术课程和烘焙 & 糕点助理教授 Joseph Jacques for honing her baking skills and with helping her get selected for 交换项目.

“Professor Joe Jacques was the primary teacher for all my classes, and he even wrote 给我写一封推荐信，”她说. “他给了我很大的帮助和支持.”

Boyle’s interest in studying abroad began in high school, but her passion for baking 开始得更早. As a preschooler, she helped her brother, mother and grandmother 在厨房里.

“By the time I was 8 or 9, I was baking on my own, experimenting with recipes I found 在网上，”她说. “At 13, I had my own online Christmas cookie business.”

Her first part-time job at a bakery during high school solidified her decision to 以烘焙为职业.

At age 16, Boyle started taking online dual enrollment classes at MCCC while being 在家接受教育. Upon graduating from high school in 2022, she enrolled in MCCC’s Baking & 糕点程序.

“I picked Montco because it is local, and I could commute, and it’s also affordable,” 她说. “但我喜欢它的地方在于 学生生活. Other schools did not have student activities.”

While at MCCC, Boyle became a member of the Alpha Kappa Zeta chapter of Phi Theta Kappa, the international honor society for two-year colleges. 第二年的时候，她 担任联谊会副会长. She attended monthly meetings and participated 在服务项目中. PTK的两位顾问. Catherine Parzynski和Dr. 凯茜Hoult Shewring, provided useful advice, helping Boyle both professionally and personally.

In addition to PTK, Boyle also participated in the 好客研究所’s 食物回收计划. With this initiative, Boyle and other culinary arts students helped Food Sustainability Fellow Jennifer Fanega, the first-year fellow, create and package meals for MCCC’s food pantry using excess food from baking and culinary courses.

While working on her degree, Boyle had the opportunity to apply her skills and what she learned  at the William Penn Inn, where she worked part-time.

“Attending Montco helped me to get a job at a fine-dining restaurant,” 她说, noting that used the same high-quality equipment in her classes that they used at the restaurant. “A lot of Montco culinary students work there.”

When applying for the CBYX 程序 in the fall of 2023, Boyle was grateful for the 她得到了中冶集团的支持 职业服务.

“For the online application, I had to 提交 my resume and transcripts and  write 五篇短文，”博伊尔说. “Kimberly McPoyle in 职业服务 helped me with 写简历和论文. 她还教了我一些面试技巧.”

The interview tips served Boyle well when she was selected for the CBYX interview. She was interviewed by four panelists in both a group and individually.

The 2024-2025 CBYX Young Professionals cohort departed for Germany on July 26 and 返回美国.S. 2025年6月. 参与者 come from a wide variety of career 来自美国各地的田野.

In Germany, Boyle will attend a two-month intensive language course, study at a German university and complete an internship in the field of baking and pastry arts. 参与者 are usually placed with host families throughout Germany, where they act as citizen ambassadors of the United States, promoting a positive image of the U.S. 在国外,创造 lifelong friendships, and professional connections to enhance German-American relations.

“I feel that my professors, advisors and experience at Montco are definitely responsible for the opportunities I’ve had and what I have achieved,” said Boyle, who is eagerly anticipating this next chapter in her baking journey.

中冶集团的最新技术 好客研究所 is slated to open this fall on the College’s 蓝铃校园. 24000多平方英尺 facility will feature innovative 程序ming, including special labs for chocolate, 面食和发酵科学. 酒店管理学院’s certificate and associate 学位课程包括烘焙 & 糕点艺术，烹饪艺术和旅游 & 热情好客 管理. 欲了解更多详情，请访问 qiikii.net/hospitality.