Each year at Warwick Academy, an exchange student is welcomed into the first year of its International Baccalaureate programme.

This year, Rebekka Sünderbruch has joined Year 12 for 2014/15. From a small village of 350 inhabitants called Alfstedt in Germany, two hours from the city of Bremerhaven, Rebekka was one of the students on a list of possible people to take part in the rotary exchange.

She accepted the proposal from her headmaster. “I was eager to go, actually,” said Rebekka. “I was happy to experience something new.”

When she returns to Germany, Rebekka plans on attending university to study a course in economics, management, international relations or marketing. Her plan was very different before attending school in Bermuda.

“I’d thought about doing some training in a company, but now that I’m in Bermuda and everyone is so eager to go to university, I’ve started to look for courses myself.”

Rebekka hopes to come back for the America’s Cup after she has graduated high school in 2017. When asked about her experience at Warwick Academy, Rebekka said: “I absolutely love it. The school is great and the IB system is absolutely awesome.

“The faculty, the staff, the students — there’s a lot of respect, tolerance and acceptance.

“I love the diversity, you meet so many different people.”