Emma Kuehling is an exchange student from Germany that moved to Fort Collins at the end of 2021, and is loving her new home. Since coming to America, Kuehling has been expressing her love for both art and soccer, and explains that she is excited to continue her passion for the two.

Unbeknown to most American students, school systems in Germany are nearly completely different from here. There is a fixed, shorter schedule, with class starting at 8:00 a.m. and ending around noon—with the exception of juniors and seniors. Students stick to a strict core-class routine with no additional courses. Surprisingly, there are no school sports teams so athletes must practice in clubs instead.

Kuehling found a love for soccer when she was six-years-old and recently joined Fossil Ridge High School’s varsity soccer team in February. Joining a new team can be frightening, but she states that, “[She] really likes to play with people [she’s] going to school with and [making] new friends along the way is a great factor.” When asked about scoring her first goal in the United States, Kuehling was very proud to have made a stand-out accomplishment. “It was my first goal for the team, and my first goal in America, so I was really happy.” As opposed to Germany’s typical one match per week, Fossil’s team competes against other schools two to three times a week.

In her free time, Kuehling finds joy in exploring nature. With more extreme weather near the Rocky Mountains, it reminds Kuehling of her home. The surroundings here are quite different from Germany, and though there are mountains in South Germany, it is not where Kuehling lived, so this is a nice change of pace.

Kuehling also experienced some shock in regards to the culture of Fort Collins. There is a lot more variety in restaurant and food choices here than in Germany. She has gotten to experience many new foods that were not available to her in her home. “I really like Reese’s Pieces. I love peanut butter and they weren’t sold in Germany, so I got to discover my love for them,” remarks Kuehling. Döner is her favorite German food, which is a cone-shaped type of hot sandwich.

When she is not studying or sight-seeing, she also adores hanging out with her friends, practicing soccer, and going out with her host family.

Kuehling’s favorite classes are CBGB (biologic, biotech and genetics) and painting. In Germany, painting is more of an “art history” class rather than physically creating pieces. Thankfully, Fossil’s painting course is more project-based so you choose what you want to paint and with which medium.

Looking towards the future, Kuehling wants to go to a university in England or Germany and study in the medical field. For the time being though, she is excited to continue her stay in Fort Collins and further explore the area during her time in the United States.