This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Germanophile Caitlin Gruis will sink her teeth into glistening wienerschnitzel this summer. She'll tour historic landmarks in Berlin, spend her evenings with a German family, and drink in the entire German experience (minus the beer, that is. She's only 17).
The Kaysville teen, who attends Judge Memorial Catholic High School in Salt Lake City, has won a 31/2-week trip, June 29 to July 23, to the European nation from the American Association of Teachers of German (AATG).
"It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get to do something like that," Gruis said. "I'm just excited to experience the culture because I've never been out of the country before."
The Judge junior was one of about 23,000 students who took the national AATG exam. She finished fifth out of 64 Utah students and advanced to the next stage: an intense interview session with members of Utah's AATG chapter, partly in German, partly in English.
Members noted they "were very impressed with your confidence in speaking German, your broad interests that include German, music, math and science, and your mature answers during the interview."
She was named Utah's nominee for the 2011 AATG Travel-Study Trip. In mid-March, she learned she was one of 39 outstanding young German language-learners from across the United States who had made the final cut. Gruis must pay her way to New York, but from there, the costs will be covered by the Federal Republic of Germany.
"I was shocked," Gruis said. "I've always wanted to go to Europe, but I've never had the chance before."
Gruis will spend the first 21/2 weeks living with a German family and attending school with their children. The final week, she'll tour Berlin with the other American teens on the trip.
"It's just such a great opportunity to get to go to the country and speak the language with other people who are fluent," she said.
Judge Memorial German teacher Art Holder said three weeks is ample time for Gruis to improve her speaking and comprehension skills.
"What's good about going there is the immersion," he said. "It's not like [you're studying for] an hour a day, and you go home and there's really no way to practice. You're literally surrounded by German everywhere. It's not just the people talking to you: it's the signs, radio, TV, everything."
Gruis, who can hold basic conversations in German, credits much of her success to Holder.
"He's a great teacher," she said. "He's taught me everything that I know about German. I came here freshman year and I didn't know a single word."
Both of Gruis' parents are of German descent. She can't wait to put her skills to the test in the motherland.