Two German students cross ocean for education at
Bluefield State College
(Bluefield)—Eike Willms and Katharina Oehrlein have the same dreams and goals as most new students at Bluefield State College. To say that they’ve come to BSC from outside the area might be an understatement. They’ve made the trans-Atlantic trip from their homeland, Germany, to participate in a one year work and study program in the United States, and BSC will be their host institution of higher education in America.
They were selected to participate in the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange (CBYX) Program for Young Professionals, a one-year, federally funded student exchange program where selected American students can study and work in Germany and selected German students receive the opportunity to study and work in the U.S.
“The program helps us gain an understanding and appreciation of everyday life abroad and gain experience in the foreign workplace,” Eike, an accounting/management student explained. The program places students with participating colleges that offer academic programs that match the students’ interests.
Katharina, whose academic focus will be economics, worked in an employment office in Germany after completing her education there. “I hope to improve my language skills, work with service organizations like the Union Mission, and have a better understanding of my life and career goals when I complete the program,” she added.
Since their arrival in Bluefield in early August, both students have enjoyed their time here. Bluefield, WV residents Jack and Jennifer McGhee are Eike’s host family, and Katharina’s host family is Rebecca Sowers of Bluefield. “The people here are very friendly,” Eike observed. “I am from Northern Germany and the people there are in more of a hurry, and are very focused on their jobs.”
Katharina has already attended a Keith Urban concert (”There’s no one quite like him in Germany,” she said), traveled through the Great Smokey Mountains, and visited Charleston, South Carolina (”I loved the historical presence and the architecture there,” she noted).
They are working to identify work internships that will begin in January 2010 and continue through June, and then they’ll prepare to return to Germany. Through the exchange program, BSC graduate Mychal Guyton recently returned to the region after spending a year in Germany, and BSC has served as a host institution for CBYX students Ole Zimmer (2007) and, last year, Maik Lehman and Kai Lawrenz.