“Windows on America” Comes to Pariser Platz: Reception for Returning Students
Exchange Students meet Ambassador Timken and Wife
September 15, 2009. Former U.S. Ambassador to Germany William R. Timken, Jr. and Mrs. Sue Timken returned to Berlin to support the Windows on America program (WoA)which they initiated in 2006 to promote mutual understanding and build relationships among the next generation of German and American youth. This unique public-private partnership program enables minority students to travel to the United States for short term exchanges to learn firsthand about American culture. In the words of former Ambassador Timken, “The Windows on America program is important because it helps break barriers of ignorance and fosters better understanding between people in Germany and in the U.S.” Since 2006, 110 students have participated in the program. The most recent group, 10 students from the Pestalozzi Hauptschule in Ludwigshafen who represent a variety of cultures, religions and backgrounds, traveled in August to New York, Washington, DC, and Charlotte, North Carolina. During their stay in the U.S., they lived with host families, visited high schools and youth clubs, worked with a community organization, and learned about American culture and society. “I loved every minute of the program” one student commented after his return. “I have learned so much and had so many amazing experiences. The trip to the U.S. also inspired me to improve my English.”
May 28, 2008. Ambassador Timken and Mrs. Sue Timken welcomed Berlin high school students to the U.S. Embassy’s new building on Pariser Platz on Wednesday, May 28. The students from the Werner-Stephan-Oberschule, who participated in the Embassy’s “Windows on America” exchange program earlier this spring, were pleased to have the opportunity to speak with the Ambassador about the impressions and experiences they took away from their two-week program in the United States. Several journalists were on hand for the occasion, as were the members of the Board of Directors of the newly-formed Windows on America Association, a not-for-profit organization established to support the Windows on America program. Ambassador Timken thanked the board members, particularly Chairperson Angela C. Dregger, for volunteering to support this program, which sends high school students from immigrant backgrounds for a short-term exchange program in the United States. The Ambassador also recognized Professor Ernst Cramer from the Axel Springer Foundation, which sponsored this group’s participation. He noted that “Windows on America” is funded primarily through donations and contributions from corporations, foundations, and private sponsors. The students became the first group of official visitors to the new Embassy building, which opened for business the day before their visit. Following their presentation, the students and teachers joined Ambassador and Mrs. Timken for photographs in the magnificent rotunda entryway, and spoke informally about the impact that the program has had on them since their return. This was the sixth group of high school students to take part in the Windows on America program, which was founded in 2007. To date, the program has sent 80 students and their teachers to the United States.
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