When Lindbergh High School junior Daniela Miletic took the 2026 National German Exam, she was not necessarily anticipating that her score would earn her an opportunity to utilize her knowledge in a native-speaking country. That was before she scored in the 92nd percentile, which earned her a gold rank, thus making her eligible to apply for an all-expense-paid summer study trip to Germany through the American Association of Teachers of German.
“If you (score) gold and you also fit a couple other requirements — like you haven’t lived in a German-speaking country, or been there for more than two weeks — then you could apply for this scholarship. It was some essay questions, so I was like, ‘Sure, why not?’” Miletic said. “They were brief questions, but they were a bit long. It was quite hard. I needed a dictionary.”
After writing and submitting the essays in German, Miletic was called in for an interview, which she shared was “a bit scary.” It, too, was conducted exclusively in German. Another round of German tests followed before Miletic was given the good news: she was one of just 36 students nationwide to earn the scholarship.
“I actually found out at school, because I was just checking my email. I was like, ‘Whoa, friends, I got this.’ It was really crazy. I couldn’t believe it for a while,” Miletic said.
On June 17, Miletic will leave for Brandenburg, Germany — a landlocked state in the northeastern portion of the country. She will also travel to Bonn, a city in the western part of the country, spending three weeks total in Germany. Miletic will stay with a local family who has children of a similar age. She shared that in addition to sightseeing, she will be attending a nearby school and taking German lessons.
“I think I’m most looking forward to the immersion of getting to know all these different people and speak this language the whole time. Also, we’re going to see a ballet in Berlin, which I’m really excited for because I do dance. We’re going to see ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream,’” Miletic said. “And I’m pretty excited to see the nature, because we’re planning to go hiking.”
This is Miletic’s second time in Germany. As a member of the Lindbergh High School orchestra, she visited the country last June with the group to perform in the southwestern city of Stuttgart. That trip, in collaboration with a Stuttgart youth orchestra called Die Telemänner, celebrated the 60th anniversary of the sister cities partnership between Stuttgart and St. Louis.
“It was pretty cool. Now I’m going to a different part of Germany, so it’ll be really interesting,” Miletic said.
