This fall, our halls were a little more interesting as we welcomed two exchange students from Germany and Spain: Florian Faulkenhaim and Jose Perez Entrena.
Our exchange programs help give our students opportunities to appreciate the American culture, learn differently, and even make friends along the way. The exchange students have a company sponsor them to give them a chance to experience and appreciate new cultures and languages, while carrying a scholarship. Not only does our school accept exchange students, but students from Carolina Forest can pursue an exchange program anywhere on the globe.
Florian Falkenhain is our sophomore student from Germany.
Florian Falkenhain stated, “I like Carolina Forest a lot. The the school is amazing, the people and teachers are very nice, and the classes I have are also very interesting. I have met a lot of new people at CF. I think it is very easy to find friends at this school because it is so big. It’s fascinating for me to see so many people at one school. I also like the football games a lot. it was interesting and something new.”
Due to our German language program here, our school offers the students who take the German language course an opportunity to also go study in Germany for a semester. For more information about this scholarship, visit Frau Lambert’s room at B113.
Frau Lambert implied, “I did an exchange in 1990 through the German American Partnership Program(GAPP). It is one of the most memorable times of my life. We were only there for a month, but I made lifelong friends with my host family. I highly recommend doing a short exchange for high school students and studying abroad in college. It can be a little scary, but it is totally worth it. The Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange (CBYX) Scholarship sends 210 American high school students to live and study in Germany while welcoming 235 German students to live and study in the United States.
Jose Perez Entrena is our sophomore student from Spain. He has enjoyed his time near the beach, but he misses the openness of the Spanish culture.
Jose Stated, “I am from Mallorca, a little island that belongs to the state of the Balearic Islands, Spain. Our schools were very small with about 300 people from kindergarten until 12th grade. There was only one class per grade, so we were all very close, and we always welcomed new students as best we could so they wouldn’t feel left out. My experience here has been a bit difficult since the people and culture are so different compared to Spain. I feel like the people here seem to be an individual community. They stick with the group they’ve known their whole lives.”
Our school will continue to flourish with our exchange students, helping our school support inclusivity and sharing cultures.
