We are pleased to announce Rolf Heydrich as the February 2023 CBYX German Participant of the Month! Rolf, a Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange (CBYX) High School participant placed by ASSE, is hosted by the Hill family in Kingsbury, Texas.

Rolf’s host parents say “they couldn’t have picked a better exchange student to become a part of their family. He has been a joy to host since day one. Rolf is kind, polite, and naturally inquisitive about the world around him.” The retired military family recently took Rolf to visit Kelly Airfield in San Antonio to watch a medical drill and he was enthralled! Afterward, Rolf toured the new C-120J aircraft and then had the opportunity to ask the crew questions. He also met with Dr. David Alexander, the Principal Medical Officer at the Artemis I Mission at NASA. Mr. Alexander was so impressed with Rolf that he invited him along with his host father, to join him for lunch when they went to NASA for a tour recently.

Dinner time is never boring at their house either! Rolf enjoys discussing everything from the Roman Empire to current German politics and in particular, Germany’s view of Ukraine surrounding the refugee, military, and political implications. Whether he is presenting to a classroom of elementary students or sitting around the dinner table, Rolf constantly shares about German culture with everyone around him.

Rolf is fully embracing the Texas ranching lifestyle. He volunteered at the local County Fair to set up the ticket booths and fair displays and even helped with children’s rodeo events including mutton busting which he truly enjoyed. In all, he helped over 150 young kids participate in the children’s rodeo events. Afterward, the Director of the County Rodeo Committee and Director of the County Fair Committee recognized Rolf for all of his efforts in supporting the county fair and rodeo.

At school, Rolf is a straight-A student but still finds time to enjoy participating on the school’s tennis team, and playing in the school band, including the marching band this past fall. His principal is most impressed with Rolf and enjoyed having him shadow him for one of his leadership projects.

Rolf’s favorite moment since arriving in Texas is the concert he participated in with the All-Region Orchestra this past December. “I played bass trombone for almost two years before coming to Texas and I was very happy when I found out that I would be able to continue playing it in my new high school band. Bands in Texas have a very good reputation in Germany, and the band indeed is a lot better than any band I have every played in before.” He continued, “I am very thankful that my band directors and the band program helped me improve so much.”

Congratulations, Rolf!