Bullard High School welcomes five foreign exchange students

As the new school year begins, Bullard High School is now home to five foreign exchange students. These five students are participating in exchange programs that brought them from Australia, Brazil, Italy, Norway, and Spain to Bullard. Despite only being in America for a few weeks, they are excited to meet new people and ready to immerse themselves in American high school life.

Alice Zocchi, a senior from Italy, says she “is enjoying BHS so far and the experience of being at a typical American school. I also like that Bullard is a small town, so it feels safe, but also has Tyler, with all the shops I want to go to,” she said.

Maddy Graham is a junior from Australia who is excited about the differences between BHS and her school in Australia. “It’s quite different than my school back home, but I feel like it's more fun,” she said. These differences include what she calls “free dress,” or not wearing uniforms, carrying backpacks, or just the classes in general. She can’t wait to experience pep rallies soon!

Martina Prim, a sophomore from Spain, shared she is most excited to be able to choose her subjects or courses to study. “We can't choose our subjects in Spain,” she said. “And we change subjects every day, so it's more fun here. I love the experience because it's all so different.”

The course structure also differs from what Edson Mendes do Prado is accustomed to. The junior from Brazil is used to having only one classroom, with the teachers rotating instead of the students. Furthermore, he is with the same group of students the whole time. His favorite class so far is Tennis because he also enjoys playing tennis back home.

Senior Isaak Alm-Kruse from Oslo, Norway, says he really likes the people in Bullard and the “southern hospitality.” He enjoys spending time on the weekends doing fun things with the new people he meets.

Even though they have only been in Bullard for a few weeks, all five feel they are adjusting well to their new surroundings. They particularly enjoy trying out the various fast food chains they do not have in their home countries. So far, their favorites include Cane’s Chicken Fingers, Chipotle, and Chick-fil-A.

Welcome to Bullard, Alice, Maddy, Martina, Edson, and Isaak!

#BullardProud