UNA Students Awarded Young Professionals Fellowship through Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange
Apr. 22, 2026
Michelle R. Eubanks , UNA, at meubanks@una.edu, 256.765.4392
FLORENCE, AL – University of North Alabama Graduate Student Ella Stephenson and Sophomore Caleb Ellis have been awarded Young Professionals fellowships through the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange. The opportunity will take the students to Germany for a year to live, work, and study.
“I am incredibly honored to have been selected to participate in the 2026-2027 program,” said Ella, who is working toward her Master’s in Business Administration through the Sanders College of Business and Technology. “After studying abroad in Switzerland during the Spring 2025 semester and participating in a two-week, four-country trip with the Sanders College in Summer 2024, I am excited to embark on this new journey that my time at UNA has well-prepared me for.”
Approximately 1,000 students apply for these fellowships, with 150 individuals interviewed to fill one of the 65 openings. CBYX is an ambassadorial fellowship involving cultural exchange at a German university, in the community and in the workforce. During the fall, students take language and culture courses; in the spring, they complete an internship.
“We are thrilled for the UNA students of the prestigious CBYX grant,” said Dr. Doug Barrett, Interim Dean of the Sanders College. “Ella and Caleb are outstanding representatives of UNA and the Sanders College. To be able to spend a year studying abroad with other exceptional students from across the country is a great honor, and we are proud of them and this phenomenal achievement.”
Ella, from Bremen, also has her undergraduate degree from UNA, having graduated in December 2025 with a Bachelor’s in Communication Arts with a concentration in Public Relations and a Minor in Marketing. Caleb is working toward a Bachelor’s in Computer Science with a double minor in Math and German.
“To me, winning CBYX YP means that I get the opportunity to fully experience my dream of living in Germany,” said Caleb. “This opportunity will help me greatly in reaching my goal of wanting to become a software or AI engineer in Germany.”
Dr. Matthew Price, UNA’s Director of the Center for Premier Awards and Scholarly Engagement, worked with Ella and Caleb on their applications and subsequent interview processes.
“I’m incredibly proud of Caleb and Ella,” said Dr. Matthew Price, Director of the Center for Premier Awards and Scholarly Engagement. “CBYX’s application is rigorous, with essays due in the fall and a tough interview in the spring. Their success reflects their commitment to cultural exchange and global workforce development. They’re two of UNA’s best!”
UNA has had a previous recipient, but Ella and Caleb have made institutional history by being the first students to be selected in the same award cycle for CBYX. The program does not require German proficiency, simply an interest in Germany and its language and culture.
About The University of North Alabama
The University of North Alabama is an accredited, comprehensive regional state university offering undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degree programs through the colleges of Arts, Sciences, and Engineering; the Sanders College of Business and Technology; the Spencer College of Education and Human Sciences; and the Anderson College of Nursing and Health Professions. Occupying a 130-acre campus in a residential section of Florence, Alabama, UNA is located within a four-city area that also includes Muscle Shoals, Sheffield, and Tuscumbia. UNA Athletics, a renowned collegiate athletics program with seven (7) Division II National Championships, is now a proud member of NCAA Division I as part of the Atlantic Sun and United Athletic conferences. The University of North Alabama is an equal opportunity institution and does not discriminate in the admission policy on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, disability, age, or national origin. For more: una.edu and una.edu/unaworks/.