German Exchange Student a Fixture on Hilltoppers Sophomore Volleyball Team

Buxheim is a small town nestled in scenic Bavaria, located in the southeastern part of Germany.

So it was a bit of a culture shock for 15-year-old Eli Kolb when she arrived in Glen Ellyn last month as an exchange student and started classes at Glenbard West High School–whose student population (around 2,200) isn't far behind the entire population of her hometown in Germany.

Eli had a lot on her plate at first, trying to become acclimated to a different way of life, making new friends, admittedly being homesick for a few weeks–and just trying to find her way around campus.

Now?

"I like it, but it's very different from Germany," she said. "Everything is spread out here."

She's certainly made a smooth transition into one aspect of American culture–sports. Eli plays middle hitter for Glenbard West's sophomore girls volleyball team.

German schools do not have their own sports programs, so Eli plays club volleyball for TSV Buxheim, a team comprised of girls ages 15-17. She's coached by her father, Peter.

"Practice was all year round," Eli said. "We played from September to December or January."

Eli said there are noticeable differences between the levels of volleyball played here compared to Germany.

"The level is higher here but it's pretty much the same playing (the game, overall). The competition is better (here)," said Eli, who is staying in Glen Ellyn with her caregivers, Sue and Gary Kamphuis. She also met her great aunt, Silvia Fosslien, for the first time recently (Silvia also is a Glen Ellyn resident).

Eli's coach at Glenbard West, Dan Scott, likes the progress she is making.

"She's just getting better and better," Scott said. "The game is a little faster here than what she was playing, but she's caught up and she's starting to get really good.

"She learns from her mistakes and she's always one step ahead, which is really hard to teach. She really is making the most of it."

Some of Eli's closest friends are on the volleyball team, including sophomores Julia Waggoner–varsity player Michelle Waggoner's younger sister–and Megan Wagner.

"The first couple of weeks it was really awkward (for her)," Scott said, "but she's fit in it just fine. She goes to the football games … it was an initial culture shock but now I can see her assimilating.

"She's a really brave, courageous girl just coming over here by herself and not knowing a soul. I know some 15-year-olds that won't even stay home alone. And she's come to America and going to a school that's the size of her hometown. The biggest adjustment she's had to make, I'm guessing, would probably be not the school side of it but just the culture side."

Eli became an exchange student through Academic Year in America (AYA), a nonprofit organization which is one of the most respected high school/homestay programs in the country. She is returning to Germany next January.

"Yes, we joke among the coaches on the staff about how we're going to keep her here because she's extremely talented," Scott said. "Once she gets used to playing more she could easily be a varsity starter."