Southern Polytechnic State University student Corey Stonica has been chosen to participate in the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange, an international exchange program sponsored by CDS International and funded by the U.S. Congress and the Congress of Germany.

CDS International, founded in 1968, is a non-profit organization committed to the advancement of international practical training opportunities for young professionals, students, educators, as well as labor, business and government representatives. CDS serves almost 1,400 individuals annually from over 50 other countries in a variety of work/study, internship, and study tour programs.

Stonica, a junior in mechanical engineering technology, is one of 60 students chosen to participate in the Youth Exchange. The program will allow him to study the German language, take classes at a university of applied science, and serve as an intern at a German company.

"This is a wonderful opportunity for me and I am excited about all that I will learn in the next year," said Stonica. He will leave for Germany August 1 and will return in July of 2002.

Before he leaves, he will visit the U.S. capital, where U.S. Representative Mac Collins and the German ambassador to the U.S. will be present at a CDS ceremony. Stonica also participated in SPSU's exchange program last year with the Fachhochschulen Magdeburg in Sachsen-Anhalt, Germany.