On a recent trip to Germany, Elsa Haywiser was surprised at how well the German classes at the high school had prepared her for spending 10 days in immersive speaking.

“It was kind of shocking to me,” said Haywiser, a senior  who lives on Brafferton Drive. “I felt like in class you just do a couple of sentences at a time, you’re not having a 30-minute conversation.”

But that’s what Haywiser faced in Göttingen, Germany, in July where she was one of two high school students representing the U.S. at the Internationale Deutscholympiade (International German Olympics, or IDO), the world’s biggest contest for German language learners ages 14-17, which draws students from all over the world. None of the contestants can be a native speaker or have a parent who is.

At the suggestion of Peg Meyers, advisor to the German Club, Haywiser entered online, where she had to pass a number of writing tasks. She then advanced to an in-person competition in Chicago in March, where she competed on the B-1 level, which is the more advanced group. She and Avery Lauenstein, a girl from Wisconsin who competed on the A-2 level, were the winners selected to represent the U.S. at the international competition. The two girls attended the IDO in Göttingen in July, along with one of Lauenstein’s teachers.

In the statement that appeared on the IDO website, Haywiser thought it was crucial to know how to communicate with others. “That’s perhaps the most important thing because you can’t do very much on your own,” she wrote.

Evidently she succeeded and connected with students from all over the world. “It was a little scary — going without knowing anyone,” confided Haywiser, who started German in 6th grade at Mellon. “But once I got there, it was fun. Everyone was very nice, and I got to meet so many people from other countries.”

Haywiser competed against more than 100 students, from more than over 60 countries, including Egypt, Albania, Kosovo, Chile, Bangladesh, China and Indonesia. The Goethe Institute, which sponsors the competition, covered all expenses for the participants. Since their native languages are diverse, the teenagers mostly communicated with each other in German.

The competition in Göttingen consisted of individual and group presentations from a writing prompt, skits, and speaking in front of the group, as well as workshops, such as rap and hip hop, where contestants could hone their German language skills.

Although Haywiser didn’t win the competition, she feels like her German teachers at the high school, Chris Stein and Peg Meyers, prepared her well. “All of my German teachers have been inspiring and passionate about their teaching, and they have helped me to learn a lot of German. Without them, I would never have had the skills to take part in this competition,” she said. “Additionally the German club is a great resource to learn about additional opportunities, such as German competitions or summer camps.”

Haywiser, a senior at Mt. Lebanon High School,  is looking to major in engineering or science in college. She would love to somehow bring Germany into the equation as well. “If I could do a year abroad or even work for a time in Germany, it would be great.”

She is enrolled in Meyers’ AP German class this fall. “I’m extremely proud of her,” said Meyers. “She is the kind of kid who, when you find opportunities, you want to be sure she knows about it, because she just grows and thrives with that.”

In the meantime she is keeping in touch with her new group of international friends. She’s already had several group calls with them and plans to maintain the connections.

“Before the trip I only really knew people from school and the community. You get to meet so many people from other countries, and they’re all the same age, they have similar interests. It’s just a really great experience.”