After temporarily moving away from her home in Germany, sophomore Emma Uhlig decided to become a foreign exchange student here at Southwest, where she could get a taste of something new while also doing what she loves.

“I wanted to meet new people,” Uhlig said.

Uhlig said she likes to learn about the English language and saw this as the best opportunity to improve. However, learning new words and phrases in English comes with some difficulties.

“In science, [it’s hard] understanding the words,” Uhlig said. “Because we don’t use those words in Germany.”

Nonetheless, she has happily accepted the challenge and is learning to adapt to her new high school’s curriculum and layout.

“The schedule is the same every day in Germany,” Uhlig said. “And [Germany doesn’t have] sports after school.”

Uhlig has found a variety of activities to help her adapt to her new surroundings, one of them being cross country.

“Doing cross country was the best thing about moving to America,” Uhlig said.

Along with this, Uhlig is absorbing the school’s traditions, including experiences she hopes to bring back with her to Germany.

“My favorite things are the assemblies,” Uhlig said. “Because it is very cool to see all of that school spirit.”