School: Greenwood H.S - Second Generation Exchange Student (2022)

Contact: Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon
E-mail: dolores@wiclarkcountyhistory.org 

Surnames: Goetze, Soto, Gallay

----Source: Clark County Press (Neillsville, Clark Co., WI) 4/20/2022

Second Generation Exchange Student Follows in Mother’s Footsteps (2022)

Second Generation Exchange Student Follows in Mother’s Footsteps



From l-r, Lou Gallay, 16, of Tremblay, France; Candela Soto, 15, of Madrid, Spain; and Ricarta Goetze, 17,
of Leipzig, Germany are taking full advantage of all the activities Greenwood High School has to offer
while visiting from abroad on their exchange program year. Jesse Heslip/Clark County Press

By Jesse Heslip

Greenwood High School has had a glimpse of new cultures this year. The school is host to three students, all of whom are a very long way away from home, as the foreign exchange program is in full swing.

Ricarta Goetze, a 17-year-old from Leipzig, Germany, has come a long way from her hometown. However, even after the more than 4,000-mile trek, Goetze feels a bit more at home than one might expect.

Goetze’s mother stayed in Onalaska with the same host family while she was an exchange student during her high school years.

“When my mother was here, she would write a lot of letters to my grandmother. After the idea of me potentially coming here was brought up, my grandmother had saved all of those letters and she gave them to me, so I read every single one. It was like reading from a time machine and I fell in love – I had to come here,” Goetze stated.

And come she did. After some planning and preparation, she landed in Wisconsin and has been blazing her own trail alongside her mother’s.

“My host family has taken me to some of the same places that my mother had been to. It was really special to see the high school my mother went to, and I was really excited to go to a medieval festival and they brought me to one. We do have festivals at home, but this was crazy,” she said.

As far as the biggest differences between here and home, “I couldn’t believe that kids throw toilet paper at houses in the neighborhood to celebrate, that was really a shock to me!” Goetze said.

“Also the afterschool programs, we don’t do any of that in Germany. We go to school, and we have a lesson plan to follow and that’s it. School is just a place to learn, although we do not rush to classes in Germany. Between each class we have a break of 20 to 30 minutes and no lunch period. It is a race to get to classes here. Also in school here we get to try new things and experience things before we commit to them, like sports for example. It’s really nice,” Goetze said.

She has taken advantage of those opportunities as well. She has been part of the volleyball team, track team, science club, Spanish club, Friends of Rachel club and gymnastics in Marshfield.

Self-described as independent, Goetze is planning on attending college. She is interested in a psychology degree. She isn’t sure where she will be in 10 years but will keep an open mind along the way and is excited to find out.

Also experiencing Greenwood as a home away from home is Candela Soto, 15, from Madrid, Spain. She said the thought of a trip to the U.S. just kind of fell into her lap at the last minute and she welcomed it with open arms. With her parents’ support, she loaded up and made the flight on a week’s notice.

Soto is also thrilled to be able to take advantage of afterschool programs and sports while attending school here.

“To play soccer in Madrid, you need to join a club; there is no school team to join. I really enjoy all of the activities the school provides us,” Soto said.

Also busy taking advantage of all the things Greenwood has to offer, she is involved in cross country, track, the Spanish club and Friends of Rachel club. She also really enjoys the atmosphere in chemistry class.

“It’s a lot of fun in the classroom. Everyone is always laughing, and we always have fun when doing our labs,” Soto stated.

“Math is a lot harder at home. School doesn’t have the same atmosphere at home; we don’t switch classes. Here it’s nice to get up and stretch your legs and walk around; at home the teachers switch rooms, and we are stuck in the same room all day.”

Soto plans to attend college and wants to be a lawyer.

Lou Gallay, 16, from Tremblay, France wanted to study in the U.S. since she was a young child. It has been her dream to come here.

“I love to travel. My parents initially didn’t want to allow me to come. I had to provide them with all the reasons that it would be good for me, and I was really annoying about it until one day they decided I was ready,” Gallay said.

She is most impressed by the school spirit that schools here show and the atmosphere hey provide the students.

“It has been such a good time to experience the way Americans live life. School is so much fun. The people are so nice. I love the daily ‘Hello! How are you?’ that I experience here.”

Back home her favorite class to study was English; here she enjoys photography class. Gallay is also on the softball team, after only one round of baseball back home in her P.E. class.

She plans to attend college to complete a degree in business and in 10 years wants to live in London, Paris or New York doing a job that she loves, traveling and enjoying life.