Katharine Boyle of Glenside has been selected as one of only 74 Americans to study and work in Germany as part of the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange (CBYX) for Young Professionals program.

CBYX is a bilateral exchange program of the U.S. Congress and German Bundestag (Parliament). The program is administered by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and non-profit partners Cultural Vistas.

The 2024-2025 cohort departed for Germany on July 26 and returns to the U.S. in June 2025.

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. Participants are usually placed with host families throughout Germany, where they act as citizen ambassadors of the United States.

Boyle, who graduated with an associate degree in Bakery & Pastry Arts from Montgomery County Community College (MCCC) in May, was named from a pool of 500 young professionals.

“When I received the email, I dropped my phone in shock,” said Boyle.  “The program offers so many great opportunities.”

Boyle, 20, said she 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.”

“Professor Joe Jacques was the primary teacher for all my classes, and he even wrote a letter of recommendation for me,” she said. “He’s been very helpful and supportive.”

Boyle’s interest in studying abroad began in high school, but her passion for baking started much earlier. As a preschooler, she helped her brother, mother and grandmother in the kitchen.

“By the time I was 8 or 9, I was baking on my own, experimenting with recipes I found on the internet,” she said. “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 pursue baking as a career. At age 16, Boyle started taking online dual enrollment classes at MCCC while being homeschooled.

She has also worked as a baker at Crumbl Cookies in Jenkintown.

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Photo: Katherine Boyle via MCCC