This school year Warsaw High School has a special new student. Junior Hazal Uelker is a foreign exchange student and is visiting from Cologne, Germany. 

   Uelker will be here until this school year is over. She is 16 years old, and this is her first time being a foreign exchange student. 

One of her hobbies back in Germany is boxing. Uelker wanted to come to America to learn better English and to see the country. 

She expressed that there are many differences between Germany and small-town America.

 “We have wifi and perfect service. We can walk everywhere, or we have buses and trains, and here you don’t have buses or trains,” she said. 

Some struggles she has had adjusting to American schools are the Chromebooks, and the hours of school.  

“The Chromebook because we use Ipads in school and you use Chromebooks, and it’s a little bit difficult. Another thing is that we only have five hours of school but here I have 8 hours of school and no school on Mondays,” she expressed. 

Uelker experienced Walmart for the first time. 

“We don’t have Walmart,” she said.  Walmart is different from the stores in Germany because there are more things at Walmart than stores in germany. 

Ulkelere’s favorite part about being in America is meeting her new friend Gracie Miller. 

Junior Jovi Robertson, a friend of Uelker, said her first impression of Uelker was that she was pretty.  

“I thought Hazal was really pretty so we invited her to sit with us at lunch and we’ve been friends since then,” she said. 

One thing that brought Robertson to step up and become friends with Uelker was her sense of humor. 

“She seemed funny,” Robertson said. 

Junior Gracie Miller is also a friend of Uelker’s and the daughter of her host parents. Miller enjoys having an extra person in the house. 

“Hazal is such a fun person to live with. My family and I enjoy having her in our home so much,” she said.

 Miller’s first impression of Uelker was that she was very sweet. Miller and Uelker quickly became friends. 

“Hazal and I were fast friends. I met her on the first day of school and we instantly clicked,” she expressed. Miller first met Uelker in her 8th hour class at school. 

Derenda Miller is one of Uelker’s host parents and says she is a wonderful addition to their family.  

“Hazal was an easy choice, and she is the most lovable person. She is a wonderful addition to our family,” Derenda Miller said. 

Miller first met Uelker through her daughter when they became “instant friends at the beginning of the year.”

“Hazal is not extra work to have around. We always have our ‘extras’ around our home, so what’s another? She is very considerate and loves to help around the house. She loves game night and learning everything she can about America. It’s fun to watch her experience new things for the first time. We have a bucket list of things and places she wants to experience while she’s here. It’s been a wonderful experience for our family and we will miss her terribly when she leaves us in May,” she said. 

Jim Miller said he has enjoyed giving Uelker a good American experience. 

“Being a host family has provided us with an incredible opportunity to share wonderful experiences with an amazing young woman. We look forward to many fun times with Hazal this year. Having her in our home brings so much excitement, and we enjoy asking her about her life back home and comparing it to our lifestyle in America. Our main goal is to ensure that Hazal has a memorable American experience. We even plan to visit her in Germany after she returns,” he said.