Published January 28, 2026
BY GRACE GRAHL
Hannah Heberger, a sophomore exchange student from Germany, arrived in America for the first time ever, ready to take on her newest adventure: public school in Carmel.
Born in Nuremberg, Germany, Heberger applied through German-American exchange program Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange, and as one of 300 CBYE students living in America, she feels lucky to have been chosen to live in Carmel.
“I was really impressed [with Carmel],” Heberger says. “It must be great living here [full-time] and growing up with the ocean.”
Hannah Heberger has appreciated living close to a beach so she can take walks with her friends and watch the sunset. Courtesy of HANNAH HEBERGER
The Nuremberg-native has found her hobby and talent in tennis. As a member of the CHS girls’ varsity tennis team, Heberger won the Pacific Coast Athletic League doubles championships and had a 20-6 overall score in singles and doubles, truly demonstrating her athleticism and skills on the court.
“She’s just a strong athlete, physically and mentally,” affirms Leslie Tracy, head coach of CHS girls’ varsity tennis. “She was a fighter on the court, and she never gave up.”
Although Hannah bonded with all of the girls on the tennis team, her chemistry with sophomore doubles partner Gaby Samchenko was unmatched as their route to PCAL’s was filled with high-fives, strong serves and secret handshakes.
“Hannah and I have really powerful games,” Samchenko says. “[Hannah] has strong serves and powerful overheads. She also had great net play and I had great back play and ground shots. We made an amazing team.”
She is now playing varsity girls’ soccer as an outside back and a defender, keeping the other team from scoring.
Not only has she proved her intellect in sports, but also in school. Fluent in English, German, French and Spanish, Heberger has excelled in each of her classes, especially French.
“Hannah is an amazing student,” CHS French teacher Suzanne Marden affirms. “She participates well with colleagues and carries her weight in groups.”
After her first host family didn’t work out, the quadrilingual athlete was placed with the Sagin family, a decision that delivered her a new best friend, CHS sophomore Kealani Sagin.
Hannah Heberger’s overhead shot powers her game and proves to be an beneficial skill to win matches. Courtesy of HANNAH HEBERGER
“When things weren’t going well with the original family, [Hannah’s] liaison reached out to us and asked if we’d be interested in hosting an exchange student,” explains Sagin, who is also a new student to CHS this year. “It’s been super enjoyable and transitioning into a new school was fun with an automatic companion.”
Although Heberger has become close with several students at CHS and had the opportunity to travel to Washington, D.C. and Hawaii this year, she still misses Germany for the mobile freedom.
“In Germany, I can go anywhere without a car, but here I can’t do anything if I don’t have a car,” she says. “I miss public transportation and being independent.”
After her eventful school year filled with Target runs, beach cleanups and ice skating, Hannah Heberger will head back to Germany, with many teachers pining for her return.
