The German-American student exchange between the Governor’s School for Science & Mathematics (GSSM) in Hartsville, South Carolina, and the Johanna-Wittum School (JWS) in Pforzheim is taking place for the fifteenth time in 2025. Also, this year, the three American students Lily Cho, Marissa Eckard, and Snikitha Garapati are living with the Vrancken, Schubert, and Müller host families in Pforzheim from June 5 to July 16. During this time, they are completing a research internship at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) in Heidelberg.
Besides research, the exchange students have the chance to get to know life in Germany. Together with their host families, they went on excursions on the weekends. They visited the Festival of Lights in Bad Liebenzell, went on a hike through the Monbachtal and visited the Monastery in Hirsau.
Further trips took them to Stuttgart, Speyer, and Strasbourg in the Alsace region of France. During a hike in the Palatinate, they explored the Trifels Castle. The exchange students also got to know Pforzheim – with walks through the city and along the Enz River, as well as enjoying the view over the city from the Wallberg hill. Of course, a visit to the Pforzheim fair (“Mess”) was also part of the experience. Besides the excursions, they spent a lot of time together – with conversations, game nights, a mini-golf match, billiards or visiting cafés.
On August 18, 2025, the three JWS students Selin Müller, Lilly Schubert, and Hannah Vrancken will travel to the USA for the return visit.
