As he reached eighth grade at Schofield Middle School, Jacob Sargent met Aiken High School German teacher Art Lader, who also offers German I to eighth-graders at the school.
"He won me over," Sargent said, "By the end of the year, I loved it - not only the language, but also the German culture."
He excelled from the start and again as a freshman for German II with Lader, then this year in German III with Art's wife, teacher Lisa Lader.
In June, Sargent will travel to Germany for a free scholarship trip for four weeks as South Carolina's top German student on the National German Exam. He and other students nationally were selected by the American Association of Teachers of German to make the trip.
Sargent qualified to go to Germany a year ago, but was not old enough. This time, he'll travel with the other winners - staying with host families for three weeks and then staying in a hotel with the others in Berlin the final week.
"I'm so excited about it," Sargent said. "I'll get to talk in German and learn together with the other students. The Laders are the biggest influence of my life. They're awesome."
Jacob's mother, Heather Sargent, is proud of her son.
The Laders are such inspirational teachers, she said, and she hears that often from other parents.
"He is so focused on what he wants to do," Heather said. "We're just super-thrilled."
The Laders have had scores of high-performing students, including others who have won the scholarship in the past. Lisa describes Jacob Sargent as a talented student who enjoys learning German and is a joy to her classroom.
The scholarship requirements are rigorous, Art said.
Sargent had to provide a written application and also had to convince a three-person committee through an interview on Skype.
The German program had an extraordinary year for many students, Art said.
In addition to Sargent, three other students - Cameron Clamp, Shannon Mulhall and Bryan Melvin - were selected as winners of a gold award, which was chosen by the teachers' association.
Others who scored in the top 10 statewide on the exam included Jacob's sister, Emma, in addition to Mohsin Rizvi, Walter Rounsefell, Bishop Hare, Jesse Carver, Drew Samaha, Sophia Gerstenberger, Lydia Gerstenberger, Reece Berry, Lupita Carrillo, Billy Haller and Isabella Hill.
Sargent is leaving Aiken High this year, having earned a scholarship to the prestigious Governor's School for Science and Math. He plans to study civil engineering after high school, although ironically, the Governor's School has no German program.
"I know they're trying to get a program there," Sargent said. "I hope to go to college in Germany one day."
Senior writer Rob Novit is the Aiken Standard's education reporter.