Left to right: Shan Huang, Eirik Eggemoen, and Sophie Sykora. Three foreign exchange students joined the Gobles High School senior class last week. Shan Huang from China, Sophie Sykora from Austria, and Eirik Eggemoen from Norway will spend the rest of the school year here.
Huang, 16, is hoping to learn more about the American sports of soccer and softball. She’s also hoping this experience will help her learn more about the United States while learning to do more on her own. “I want to be more independent and learn how to do things by myself,” she said. Huang is staying with Deb Peterson’s family.
Sykora, also 16, is staying with Pam Westcott’s family. She hopes to experience the American way of life, including volleyball and cheerleading. So far, the hardest part of being a Gobles senior has been taking classes and speaking in English all the time.
Eggemoen, 17, wanted to live here after a recent U.S. vacation. He hopes this experience will help him to become fluent in English. He is also playing football. He’s staying with Ann Jacus and her family, and plans to become a police officer or join the military after high school.
“Having foreign exchange students attend Gobles High School allows our students to see a world beyond the borders of our town,” said Middle/High School Principal Phil McAndrew. “They get to learn about other cultures, customs, and begin to see people from all cultures as people who are not that different from us.”
Huang, 16, is hoping to learn more about the American sports of soccer and softball. She’s also hoping this experience will help her learn more about the United States while learning to do more on her own. “I want to be more independent and learn how to do things by myself,” she said. Huang is staying with Deb Peterson’s family.
Sykora, also 16, is staying with Pam Westcott’s family. She hopes to experience the American way of life, including volleyball and cheerleading. So far, the hardest part of being a Gobles senior has been taking classes and speaking in English all the time.
Eggemoen, 17, wanted to live here after a recent U.S. vacation. He hopes this experience will help him to become fluent in English. He is also playing football. He’s staying with Ann Jacus and her family, and plans to become a police officer or join the military after high school.
“Having foreign exchange students attend Gobles High School allows our students to see a world beyond the borders of our town,” said Middle/High School Principal Phil McAndrew. “They get to learn about other cultures, customs, and begin to see people from all cultures as people who are not that different from us.”
