Consul General Powell meets with students of the BIL school

Consul General Powell brings American Spirit to BIL School in Stuttgart
October 1, 2008. Consul General Powell visited the BIL school in Stuttgart on October 1st.  Principal Muammer Akin along with Manfred Ehringer, one of the founders of BIL, welcomed the Consul General and introduced her to the school.  Eighty percent of the 214 students are from an immigrant background, with most of their families coming from Turkey.  The school was founded in 2004 with the objective of better integrating immigrant and minority students into German society.  These students are underrepresented at state-run Realschulen and Gymnasien and overrepresented at Hauptschulen in the city.  The mission of the school is to create an environment in which these students could reach their full potential and thus empower them to participate in German academic or political life, seizing the oportunities offered.  

Consul General Powell met with students of the school and joined an English class, where she led a discussion about America and talked about her background in the U.S. Foreign Service.  She introduced Ambassador and Sue Timken's Windows on America program, which brings less privileged students into exchange program, and this generated great enthusiasm among the students.  Asked about what guidance she could give them, Consul General Powell said: "Don't forget that your life is in your own hands. Your parents and teachers are here to help you out along the way, but it's about what you yourself make out of it."

Press from Stuttgarter Zeitung and Stuttgarter Nachrichten as well as Turkish media covered the event. While in Stuttgart, Consul General Powell also met with representatives of the Robert Bosch Foundation.