A few students here have participated in the exchange program with the Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE) club, which is an organization made to help get students abroad.
Two of the students who went abroad are CC Connolly and Anabel Vaughn. They not only went abroad but also helped to bring the CIEE club to our school.
Vaughn went to Paris, France. She would recommend participating in an international exchange program for many different reasons. One big thing Vaughn liked the most was the amount of freedom she had.
“I’ve always been independent, but the independence and just the life lessons you learn whether you know it or not are amazing,” Vaughn said.
For Vaughn, even after she came back from the program she could still feel how much the trip had changed her.
“It’s an amazing experience, but it takes a lot of drive. The program taught me so much about how to take action and initiative for myself,” Vaughn said.
Vaughn worked hard to get to participate in the program, and it showed her that her determination was gonna get her where she wanted to be. Getting to fundraise for her trip showed her that she had to push herself if she wanted to be able to participate in the program. Even before the trip she was already learning to take initiative for herself to be able to go on the trip.
Connolly went to Nice, France during her sophomore year last year. She enjoyed staying with her host family on a farm and got to experience a new dynamic.
Connolly going abroad was a great experience and helped to motivate her when she came back to work even harder.
“It gave me a new perspective on work here because of how much higher the level of education is in France,” Connolly said. “It improved my motivation to get my work done when I came back.”To Connolly, the difference between work in France and here was major. Getting to learn in a different way and work in a different environment. She could feel the difference when she came back between the work there, which helped her in her work when she came back here.
“Having a host family was amazing, and also making lots of new friends was really nice,” Connolly said.
She enjoyed so many different parts of getting to be an exchange student. She stated that one of the best parts of the experience was getting to be in a host family. Having a host family was a big change for her, but she enjoyed getting to know them and living their lifestyle.
Another part Connolly enjoyed was getting to meet so many new people. Connolly liked getting to make so many new friends that had a different experience than her.
“I would definitely recommend it to everyone. It looks good on college applications, and it will help you throughout the rest of your life and it really opens a lot of opportunities,” Connolly said.
Another student who participated in the international exchange program this year is junior Reed Coleman.
Coleman got to stay in Liverpool, UK from September to January this year. She got to enjoy her time with a host family and experience their way of living. One of her favorite parts was how it changed her way of thinking about school.
“I think everyone should travel if they have the chance and doing it in school is a really good way because they can learn a lot more and it’s a good learning experience,” Coleman said.
Coleman stated that the way school is in the UK is vastly different from how it’s done here. To her this change benefited her because it helped her learn a lot of new things she could’ve not learned otherwise.
“Traveling abroad in school is great because it’s easier for teens to shift their ideas and make new friends,” Coleman said.
For Coleman, travelling to another country is great for teens because of how open they are to new ideas and aren’t afraid to change their perspective. It also helped her to create bonds with people she would’ve never met if it wasn’t for going abroad.
It wasn’t only a fun time for the exchange students but also a learning experience they’ll carry with them for the rest of their lives. Getting to try new things seemed to change the way they thought about things and showed them a different perspective. The exchange students recommend looking into programs to anyone interested in experiencing new things and want to shift the way they think. To get connected to the CIEE club, you can check out the clubs instagram @mhs.abroad_possible.
