Application Process

My name is Simran Sadler. I am 15 years old and I live in Oamaru, New Zealand. I was recently offered the opportunity to apply for an NZIIU Scholarship to go to Germany for 3 months by Language Perfect, after I had gained over 3000 points in the World Championships. To be quite honest with you, I was shocked! I mean a 15 year old girl who comes from a small town in New Zealand that isn't most commonly known was chosen to apply for a scholarship along with 14 other students.

 I sent in my Initial application to NZIIU and a week later I started filling out the full application. It was a long process, but in the end I managed to finish it and send it in on time! After sending in my application I was contacted by Mari Gordon about the Skype interview. I had never been interviewed before and so I was beyond nervous. However, the time flew past and I had a great support crew- my mother and my German teacher. After answering all the questions time flew past and before I knew it nearly 3 hours had passed! But I was feeling grateful after that.

After all that stressful time consumed on answering questions the time had come to wait for the answer. To be honest, I didn't think I would get the scholarship, even though we tried our best. I had a great support crew of amazing family and friends and my amazing German teacher! As the date came to check the results, I was shaking and didn't really want to open the email. I sat with my mum as I opened the email and I was SHOCKED! I screamed and then started crying as I didn't believe it that I had been granted the 1st prize scholarship!

After I found out, my mum and I read the email over and over again, I then decided to ring my German teacher and tell her first and she was just as surprised as I was! I messaged all my friends and they were so excited and proud of my achievements.

I was honored to be nominated to apply for the scholarship but actually being granted first  prize is a huge achievement to me as I come from a small town in New Zealand nobody really gets something as extraordinary as this. Ever since I was little I have always loved to travel, try new foods, new cultures, traditions and clothes. I've always wanted to try and learn many languages because you can speak to a range of different people. The fact that I will be spending 3 months will help me increase my vocabulary and make friends and meet new people. It will also help me increase my knowledge of German culture and tradition. It will also help with my independence and confidence.

It's still quite a big thing to think that I actually have been granted this opportunity, I am honored to be apart of the exchange program and hopefully will be a great ambassador for the exchange program. I am very nervous but thank you so much Language Perfect and NZIIU for this amazing opportunity. To be honest it still hasn't really sunk in properly yet. 😂