This year, Wadsworth High School had the opportunity to allow foreign exchange students Annarosa Gatti from Italy, Louise Chauvin-Mascart from France, Aaron Keinlein and Vivien Willing from Germany, Leyi Wu from China, and Alejandro San Segundo Marquez from Spain to spend a year in the United States.

All of the WHS exchange students feel this year has been an amazing opportunity that has made an impact on the rest of their lives.
“I always wanted to visit America because it was like the land of dreams,” Willing said.

Now, these foreign exchange students are preparing to leave America and head back home to their families. However, leaving the place they have called home for the past year comes with a variety of different emotions.

“Having so many exchange students in the same school definitely helped with the challenges this year.” Chauvin-Mascart said. “The fact that we can all understand each other is really great, too.”

During the year, the exchange students formed relationships with friends, their host families, and teachers.
These relationships have allowed the exchange students to have a positive experience during their time in the U.S. and within the Wadsworth community.

Willing has enjoyed getting to know so many new teachers and friends during her time in the U.S. this year. “The students and teachers are so understanding,” Willing said. “I think, in general, the school is just so open-minded.”

Over the course of the year, the exchange students were able to make new friends, try new things, and experience the American lifestyle.

Beyond this, Kienlein has enjoyed getting to see many different perspectives and getting to try various new things during his time in the U.S. All of the foreign exchange students feel the administration and teachers made their journeys easier.
Each exchange student has their own favorite teachers, but they agree that WHS American History teacher Mr. Myers had the biggest impact on them.
For teachers, there are many things that make their jobs so enjoyable for them. Specifically, for Mr. Myers, it is having the opportunity to teach the Wadsworth foreign exchange students.
“I enjoy having the foreign exchange students in my classes because of the content that I teach,” Myers said. “I am grateful and humbled that they feel that I have impacted them this year.”

Myers is thankful for the opportunity to teach the exchange students and cannot wait to teach more throughout the rest of his career.
With this year coming to an end, the exchange students are preparing to graduate from WHS. Although all of them still have schooling left to do in their home countries, they are excited to experience the opportunity to walk the stage at graduation in the United States.
“[Graduation] doesn’t really count for us,” Gatti said. “We all have to go back and finish up school in Europe.”
Although most of the exchange students have decided to stay in their home country, they would all love to visit America again in the near future.
“I’m kind of sad about leaving here and graduating, but also happy,” Kienlein said. “You know you have accomplished something, in this exchange year.”
The exchange students are very sad to be leaving, but they are grateful for the opportunities that they have gotten to experience.

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