NEW YORK, N.Y. — Morgan Lessard, a high school student from Lewiston, has been awarded the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange (CBYX) scholarship, which covers a year of study and cultural immersion in Germany.

The CBYX program is operated under funding by the U.S. Department of State and administered in the Northeast United States by AFS-USA, a worldwide nonprofit student exchange organization.

Lessard is one of 50 students in the Northeast to receive the scholarship, and she will spend the 2012-2013 academic year living with a German host family and attending a local high school.

Lessard was selected as a Congress-Bundestag scholar due to her demonstrated academic qualifications, cultural open-mindedness and motivation. She will serve as a “youth ambassador” from the United States for the academic year, while participating in educational, cultural and political events, including receptions and meetings with German and American government officials.

Lessard is the daughter of James and Rebecca Lessard of Lewiston. She has one brother, Maxwell Lessard. Maternal grandparents are Jeanne Beliveau of Lewiston and the late Paul Paradis Sr. of Mexico. Paternal grandparents are George and Diane Lessard of Lisbon Falls.

To learn more about the CBYX program and find out how to apply for the 2013-14 academic year, visit www.usagermanyscholarship.org. To learn more about AFS-USA, the administering organization, visit www.afsusa.org.