Willkommen Sophie! Crailsheim exchange student arrives in Worthington
Aug. 22—WORTHINGTON — Sophie Goehler, Worthington's newest exchange student from Crailsheim, Germany, is settling in for her one-year American experience after having arrived in the community on Aug. 10.
Goehler, 16, embarked on her journey with Nataly Najera Murillo, Worthington's 2022-23 exchange student to Crailsheim. Goehler will spend her first three months in Worthington with Nataly's family, including parents Esteban and Isabel, and sisters Zuleika, 14, and Alexa, 9.
"I don't have any siblings," Goehler shared. "I think it's really cool to now have three host siblings because I've always wanted to have siblings."
The daughter of Peter and Simone Goehler, her hometown is Stimpfach — a 15 to 20-minute drive from Crailsheim, where she attends school. When she returns to Crailsheim next summer, she will have two more years of high school before going on to study at a university. She doesn't yet know where her career will take her.
Excited for her year in Worthington, she was one of two students who applied for the one-year exchange program.
"I wanted to experience the American way of life and get to know a lot of new people and make new friends — friends for a lifetime," Goehler said. "Also to improve my English and experience high school because it's a very different experience than high school in Germany.
"I'd love to see more of the U.S.," she added.
Since her arrival, Goehler has visited Pioneer Village locally and toured the community. She's also been to the Mall of America.
"I've spent a lot of time with my host family and getting to know them," she said. "I started tennis last Tuesday."
Tennis is a new sport for Goehler, who is looking forward to many "firsts" during her stay. Yet, she's also brought one of her comforts from home — a saxophone that she hopes to play in the WHS band.
"I'm really looking forward to going to high school and trying new things and meeting new people," she said. "I think (Worthington) is a beautiful town — especially the lake is beautiful. Everyone I've met here so far is really nice, kind and welcoming."
Goehler has already discovered that she loves the Mexican food her host family prepares.
In addition to playing the saxophone, Goehler's hobbies include fishing. She's in a fishing club in Crailsheim and goes fishing with her dad. In Germany, people must take an exam to obtain a fishing license. Her dad earned his at 16, and she was 12 when she earned hers. They fish predominantly for carp and trout in Germany.
Her other hobbies include reading, and spending time outdoors and with friends.
Nataly Najera Murillo will return to Worthington High School next week as a junior. Her year in Crailsheim was filled with many new experiences and memories to last a lifetime.
"It was definitely more than what I expected; it was something new every day," Najera Murillo said. "It was probably one of the best things I've ever done. If I had a chance to do it again, I definitely would."
She said she'd like to do an internship, or perhaps attend college, in Europe.
During Najera Murillo's year in Crailsheim, she traveled to France, Italy and Austria, as well as Berlin in northern Germany.
"I think what I liked best is the easy transportation — going city to city or country to country," she said, noting it was just a six-hour train ride from Stuttgart, Germany (little more than an hour's drive from Crailsheim) to Paris, France.
She also appreciated the school system in Crailsheim.
"I definitely would say I like German school better than American — the way the system works (with) no (cell) phones and more breaks throughout the day," she said. "You'd talk more with your classmates and not everyone was on their phone. It was easier to make friends with everybody in your class."
After high school, Najera Murillo said she'd like to become an immigration lawyer.
