The idea of leaving home and attending a school in a country across the world that speaks a different language and has a whole set of cultural differences sounds daunting to many teenagers. Yet, for three brave-hearted and courageous exchange students, Boulder High represents a new place to call home for the year. Elena Mallus is a senior from Cagliari, Italy, who is studying in Boulder through the Rotary exchange program. Valentine Jung, a junior from Lucerne, Switzerland, is also part of the Rotary exchange program and is here for the school year. Anja Stepanovic from Bulgary, Serbia is spending the year studying at Boulder High as a host student in Mrs. Kastengren’s household.  Over the past few months, they have all found different social groups, activities and different ways to acclimate to living in Boulder and attending Boulder High. 

All three exchange students had different reasons for choosing to come to Boulder to study abroad. Mallus explained that although she was randomly assigned to Boulder after picking the general region of North America, she feels very lucky considering she has some friends studying abroad in Alaska. She also enjoys Boulder’s many opportunities to be outdoors and the different activities there are within the city. Stepanovic chose to come to Boulder because her family used to live here and they knew people in the area. As for Jung, he couldn’t quite decide on a specific city in America, so he just chose Colorado and is very happy to have ended up in Boulder.

I continued my interview with a question about a very American concept: football. More specifically, I asked the students about their perspectives on the Boulder/Fairview rivalry. Mallus remarked how “American” the Boulder/Fairview rivalry is. “It’s so American because in my country we don’t have stuff like that. I think it’s kind of stupid, it’s just high school. It’s stupid but fun,” she exclaimed. Stepanovic enjoys the rivalry and mentioned that the first American football game she ever attended was the Boulder/Fairview one. While she ended up standing next to the fight that broke out among the stands, she still thinks the overall rivalry is healthy and normal. “Fairview people are bad people, that’s what you hear all the time, so I think that’s what you are feeling,” Jung replied in regards to the rivalry. This attitude may come from his involvement in the rivalry, as he is on the football team. 

When asked about the general atmosphere here, both Mallus and Stepanovic made it apparent that Boulder High has been extremely understanding and accepting in regards to their situation. Mallus admitted that although it was hard at first to make friends because everyone seemed to have a group, most people were pretty open and inviting. Stepanovic also mentioned that she likes the fact that if she doesn’t understand something or doesn’t know what a word means, people in the larger Boulder High community are always willing to help her out. 

All three exchange students have different strategies for meeting new people in this new environment. Mallus commented that in order to meet people when she first arrived she joined the frisbee club and  “tried to choose classes like senior composition where I could find [people] that are my age.” Additionally, Jung plays football for Boulder High and is going to start wrestling in the winter. As of now, Stepanovic is focusing mostly on school rather than extracurriculars but she is thinking of joining Art Club at some point. 

In regards to the varying education systems, Mallus believes that the biggest difference between American schools and the Italian education system is the class structure. In Italy, you pick either a classical high school where you focus on liberal arts classes or a STEM-focused high school. Mallus explained that she thinks the American system is a little better because you get to take all kinds of classes in different subjects. She went on to elaborate that back in Italy she would typically have 15 classes each semester where here she only has 6 so she feels much more relaxed. Stepanovic explained that the US education system varies greatly from her school in Serbia, specifically concerning homework. “We have homework every day here and back at home it would be kind of like extra credit and you would do it for yourself, not to hand out to your teacher but more to practice for your test,” she discussed. Switzerland has two different education systems: a 9 year program where students spend three or four years in an apprenticeship and then move on to study at a university, or a program similar to the American system where you attend 12 years of school and then study at a university—the way that Jung does back in Switzerland. “I have all my classes with the same people and we can’t choose the classes,” Jung elaborated. While all three students have come from very different school systems, they all agree that everyone has been very supportive and helpful in this new educational experience. 

Even though Mallus, Stepanovic and Jung have all created varying experiences for themselves in their time studying abroad, they are all united by the shared experience of attending Boulder High. While these students are only here for a short amount of time, their experience here in Boulder is one that will last a lifetime.