Foreign exchange students
Every year new exchange students join Sterling High School. This year we are lucky enough to host two new students. The Rotary Youth Exchange students are both sophomores and their names are Yuzuki Hosoi from Japan and Emilia Galka from Germany.
Many students choose to take on the adventure of spending a year in a new country for many different reasons. No matter where they come from, being an exchange student can offer many new experiences and opportunities.
The different cultures and the bonds made with new people is what makes the program worth it. Sophomore Yuzuki Hosoi is looking forward to learning about american culture and hopes she can teach people about Japananese culture. “I’d like to be a bridge for cross-cultural exchange,'' said Hosoi.
Holidays such as Halloween and Christmas are fun events that students like Hosoi don’t get to experience back home. Getting the chance to dive head first into a new place and partake in so many new events is a perk to spending a year in a forgein country. In America, we don’t think twice about these things since they have had an influence on our life since childhood.
Another appealing aspect of a new country is the food. Galka said, “I’m very excited for the food here. I know that the food here is not the most healthy, but it’s actually really good and there are lots of things we don’t have in Germany.”
Although Hosoi’s first pick was America and she was lucky she could’ve been chosen to go to a number of places.
“I might have been to Thailand, Brazil, or France. I was very happy when I was chosen to go to America,” Hosoi said. Anyone who wants to participate in the exchange program has to choose a few different countries to spend their year in. The exchange program decides where a student will travel out of these countries.
Often times exchange students try to participate in as many extracurriculars as they can. Both Galka and Hosoi are in tennis, while Galka also sings in the choir.
Both students hope to have a great year in the U.S. and make new connections with new people. Hopefully it will be an amazing year to remember with many new experiences for both.
