7/30/2007 - U.S. Embassy Vienna--Ambassador's Exchange Scholarship Award 2007

In a ceremony at the U.S. Embassy Vienna, eight Austrian students received the American Ambassador’s Exchange Scholarship Award 2007. These students, winners of a creative writing competition on ‘Communicating Across Cultures’, are going to study at high schools in the United States for one year within the AFS program.

Deputy Chief of Mission Scott Kilner, Sophie-Therese Hillebrand, Arndt Blaschka, Lukas Kollingbaum, Matthias Dick, Pico Rabitsch, Feyzan Öztürk, Sarah Grünbacher, Ambassador Susan McCaw. Not in picture: award recipient Vera Bogensperger

Remarks by Ambassador Susan McCaw

Willkommen! Welcome to the Embassy! This is my second opportunity to present the ”American Ambassador’s Exchange Scholarship Award,” an event I have come to enjoy greatly.

This year, the theme was ”Communicating Across Cultures.” Nearly thirty students participated – submitting posters, essays, collages and even a blog. As you can see from the entries displayed here, the students’ submissions are all very impressive.

And believe me, it was difficult to narrow them down to the eight winners. But we did and I want to congratulate you. I also want to congratulate you – and, indeed, I want to congratulate the other 45 or so Austrian students enrolled in AFS programs for the academic year 2007-2008 – on taking the big step of studying abroad.

Since my arrival in Austria one and a half years ago, I have stressed the importance of academic exchanges between our two countries, and I am thrilled that so many students will be embarking on this great adventure. And I am thrilled that we can help sponsor some of them.

When I was a student at Stanford University, I had the opportunity to study in Italy. As I see all of you here today, I am thinking about my own time studying abroad. I can tell you that it was one of the most rewarding and enriching periods of my life. I still treasure those memories.

Since the Embassy first offered this award in 2002, we have heard from many of the recipients. I am happy to say that their accounts of life in America have been overwhelmingly positive.

I hope that we will hear the same from you. In closing, I would like to thank our friends from AFS Austria for their continued close cooperation on this joint project. The success speaks for itself.

Thank you parents and families, for supporting these students and their dreams to study abroad.And thank you students, for your interest in studying in the U.S., for your creativity, and for your understanding of the need to communicate across cultures.

Have a great year in the U.S. I wish you all the best.