Bonneville High student will spend his junior year in Germany
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IDAHO FALLS — Isaac Johnson is a sophomore at Bonneville High School. He will spend the next 10 months in Germany as part of a study abroad program.
Johnson has studied German, both in class and on his personal time, and is quite comfortable with the language. He has also spoken with his host family and will be traveling with a group of 250 American students in the study abroad program. Still, the 15-year-old is equally nervous and excited to spend 10 months in a new country, away from his family.
“It’s definitely going to be a trial by fire, but that’s the exciting part — it builds character,” he said. “The whole emersion of it all is very appealing to me.”
Johnson is part of a study abroad program through the U.S. Department of State. The application process for the program, he said, took around six months, and included both group and one-on-one interviews
After the application and vetting process, Johnson learned of his acceptance into the program in March. The U.S. Government, he said, will pay the the vast majority of the cost.
“They just want somebody that’s genuinely interested and meets all the criteria of someone who would be good abroad,” he said of the acceptance process.
“We are beyond proud,” Johnson’s mother, Miranda Johnson, said of her son’s willingness to take part in the program. “What a neat way to broaden your horizons. … It’s an opportunity of a lifetime.”
Miranda said that her son handled the entire application himself — without any hassle from his parents.
“We are going to miss him,” she said. “He’s a good kid to have around — I’m afraid the host family’s not going to want to give him back.”
Johnson, who has two sisters — one older and one younger — he will miss. But, he noted that for the next year or so, he will learn to live with brothers.
Asked if he was interested in attending college in Germany, Johnson said that it would definitely be something he would consider.
“The history there is obviously — there’s a lot going on there — the architecture, all the little towns and the food, of course. I’d say that it’s hard to find a thing that wouldn’t be appealing about it.”
According to Miranda, the only costs the family had to cover for the the trip was the purchase of a passport and travel to Washington DC, where Johnson met up with his travel companions.
Johnson encouraged his fellow Idaho teens to look into the program — which offers study abroad opportunities in numerous countries.
Students interested in the program can learn more, and apply, at the website — here.