Foreign Exchange Lands at Abington

By Logan Kerrigan | November 2024

Have you ever wanted to see the world? Many people dream of traveling the globe and experiencing different cultures. Most don’t get the opportunity to travel until later in life, due to time and money constraints, among other reasons.

Luckily, the best time for Abington Heights students to travel is now. Through the Rotary Youth Exchange Program, students aged 15-19 have the opportunity to live and study abroad for time periods from a few weeks up to a full academic year. 

Students get the opportunity to fully immerse themselves in the culture of their place of choice, living with host families and attending local high schools.

Dexter Sullivan, a long-time student here at Abington Heights, lived in France for her junior year. 

“I really just had the time of my life, I made so many friends, it was fantastic.” 

She stressed the importance of the friends you make, saying, “I think that the connections you make are the best part of the Youth Exchange, had much to say about the merits of the program. 

"It’s an opportunity for you to become a global citizen, learn a language, explore a culture, have international networking, and it’s an opportunity for students to really get to know themselves and mature.”

The exchange program also goes both ways. Johanna Rydholm, an exchange student from Sweden, is loving her exchange here at Abington Heights. 

"My favorite part about Abington Heights is that it’s exactly what I expected. It feels like a movie to be here.” 

She spoke about how seamless and easy the process of travelling was, saying, “The flight was really easy, we had people from the Rotary that helped us all the way here, it felt safe and I’m glad to be here.”

The program isn’t limited to a school year, students more wary of leaving the country can leave for a smaller period of time during the summer. Students can do the same program but for 2-6 weeks during the summer.    

This gives students an opportunity to get a good taste of the program before maybe  making the decision to go for a full year. 

“Students are always having such a wonderful time that they always try to stretch the program as long as they can,” said Ms. Sehne.

For more information, contact Ms. Sehne at asehneyeo3@gmail.com, or you can grab an informational brochure from the guidance office.