Meet Audrey Patterson, a junior at Kaiserslautern High School, National Honor Society and Student Council member, and daughter of two DODEA teachers. Having lived in Germany for the past 13 years, Audrey has built a close-knit community of friends from all over the world, which she considers her greatest accomplishment. Passionate about school, she loves math and even invented a fun game called ‘math-ket ball.’ Despite the challenges of balancing four AP classes and extracurriculars, she embraces life fully, advising younger students to do the same. Audrey dreams of culinary school in Paris and becoming a DODEA teacher like her parents. ()

These are the words of Student Counsel and National Honor Society (NHS) member, Audrey Patterson. Audrey, a junior at Kaiserslautern High School and the daughter of two DODEA teachers, has lived in Germany for the past 13 years. She has loved and appreciated every second of it.

She feels that her greatest accomplishment is building a life here with a community of friends who are now all over the world.

Community was a theme that Audrey kept coming back to. She advises younger students to “join a couple of clubs and make a community. A lot of the people here are in so many different clubs and sports. Just get out there; do what you want; don’t hold back. Do as much as possible and enjoy life.”

Her role models are a variety of teachers who have inspired her with great hugs and just being there for her and her family. Her favorite class is math because “once you get it, you get it” and because she gets to play “math-ket ball,” a sport that combines math questions and basketball.

While she loves school, she describes being a junior as “very scary” and you can see why. Audrey is currently taking four Advanced Placement (AP) courses on top of her NHS and Student Counsel duties as well as preparing to take the SATs so she can prepare for life after high school. She claims she’s not 100 percent sure what career path she wants to go down, but her dreams include going to culinary school in Paris, opening up a bakery and ultimately becoming a DODEA teacher in Europe, just like her parents.

Audrey’s hobbies include cooking and baking, particularly chocolate chip cookies, making bracelets, playing soccer and tennis, reading and hanging out with her family and dog, claiming that “my dog is my favorite person.” Her favorite places to go are Prague and Austria for the mountains and skiing.

To learn more about which teacher gives the best hugs, more advice for younger students and life in Kaiserslautern, watch Audrey’s full interview here.