Hannes Spiller, a freshman, spent the majority of his life outside American borders. Spiller was born in a town called Biebertal, Germany, in the district of Gießen, in Hesse, Germany. It is about 52 minutes from Frankfurt, and it was there that Spiller’s journey started.

Shortly after Spiller was born, he, along with his dad, mom, and sister Lina, a senior at Fossil Ridge High School, moved to a small village in the town of Hofheim, Hesse known as Langenhain. Spiller spent the majority of his childhood in Langenhain. When asked if he remembers living in Germany, specifically Langenhain, Spiller responded, “Yes, I do remember some parts. Not everything, but some stuff.” One of the things Spiller said he does remember is visiting his grandparents, who lived and currently live in the small spa town of Bad Königshofen im Grabfeld. Specifically, Spiller remembers a hotel-restaurant called “das Schlundhaus,” which sits in the middle of town.

Spiller spent the first six and a half years of his life in Germany before his dad, who works for Cargill, a big American agriculture company, got a call to work in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. When asked about his favorite part about Canada, Spiller said that he “loved the cold weather. Almost every day during winter break, we’d either go sledding, skating on a free outdoor rink at the park right behind our house or just go play in the snow. So, weather and snow.” Spiller lived in Canada for five years before his dad got a call to work for the same company, this time in Fort Collins, Colorado.

This is where Spiller’s journey of living outside American borders ended. But, nonetheless, Spiller and his family visit Germany once every year or two. “My favorite part about going back to Germany is visiting family,” Spiller noted. “I also love eating all the fantastic food, including schnitzel, gebackener camembert, roulade, and schäufele.” Spiller visits Canada as well, usually traveling once every three summers to visit friends.

Spiller hopes to continue his journey right here in Fort Collins. At Fossil, Spiller is a member of the ultimate frisbee team and the school’s band. Likewise, Spiller is currently in the process of learning a third language, Spanish. Spiller already speaks fluent English and German. Outside of school, Spiller primarily enjoys reading.

Finally, after high school, Spiller hopes to take his adventuresome self to England, where he can study to become a mechanical engineer, specifically a naval engineer. “I have always had an interest in marine engineering,” Spiller noted, “There’s just something about boats and ships that fascinates me…I mean, I love it here, but that ‘European’ side of me will never go away.” Because of this, Spiller hopes that his experiences and learnings from high school will help get him to England, where he can fulfill his dream.