Michelle Ring of Germany

‘I’m glad to be here,’ says German student

Attending Springfield High School as an international student is a dream come true for Michelle Ring, 16, of Germany. 

“I decided very early that someday I would come to America” to study, said Michelle during a recent interview. “When I was 10, I talked to my dad  and told him that I wanted to come to America.”   He encouraged Michelle to research various programs and plan to make it happen.

 “To begin with, my Dad wanted me to go to China to learn the Chinese language.  “That didn’t work out, because I would have been assigned to an International school where I would have been speaking English,” Michelle explained.  So, her best choice was to study in America.  In her home school, she has studied Spanish, French, Chinese and English, but hasn’t had the practical experience of speaking those languages.  “Everyone speaks English in Germany,” she said.  Total immersion in the American culture is the most favorable way to acquire proficiency in the English language.

A participant in the Nacel Open Door International Student program, Michelle is a sophomore at Springfield High School where she is studying American History, Web Design, English, Music and Chemistry.  She enjoyed participating in basketball and she plans to play softball this spring, a new ballgame to her.  

Michelle was excited to come to the United States.   When she learned she was coming to Springfield, that hit a familiar note. “I knew about Springfield from the German television show,” the Simpsons, she said, smiling.  However, Springfield, Minnesota,  “is not at all like that,” she added. 

Michelle’s native home is Wiehl,  a municipality in the Oberbergischer Kreis, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.  

 

See complete story in this week's Springfield Advance-Press.

Springfield Advance-Press

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