Five years ago, visiting New York for the first time sparked a foreign exchange student’s interest in the English language. Her interest grew as she immersed herself in English media, watching American movies and television shows dubbed in French and reading translations of her favorite songs.

Driven by her interest in the English language, Lea Kowalik, a foreign exchange student, attends Revere High School this year. She is currently being hosted by the McCarty family, where she feels at home, as if she knew them from her life in France. She enjoys the freedom the U.S. has to offer, specifically spending time away from her parents and the low driving age.

Kowalik explained how she came to be with her current host family through the foreign exchange program she chose.

“I went to a few [foreign exchange organizations], including one called [Programmes Internationaux d’Echange], and it is an organization that you send information about yourself to, so I had to write a letter of what I like about my family, I had to do a poster, which included photos of me and my family, what I like to do, and then they put me in a website, and let host families choose [from candidates]” Kowalik said.

Eve McCarty, a part of the family hosting Kowalik, describes the experience of hosting a foreign exchange student.

“Hosting a foreign exchange student is like having a new member of the family for the school year, and even after, because of the connection you form with them,” McCarty said.

McCarty mentioned why they chose to host a foreign exchange student.

“My family had originally decided to host a student because of an advertisement we had seen in the newspaper seeking for families looking to host a student for a school year. My sister was a senior in high school when we first hosted a student, and we have been hosting ever since,” McCarty said.

Kowalik is currently taking AP French to stay connected to her French background. Her French teacher, Diane Gerspacher, explained how she contributes to the class.

“She is very social and outgoing. She adds to conversations, helps other students with their work and helps all of us with French slang terms,” Gerspacher said.

Gerspacher also described the qualities that make Kowalik stand out.

“[Lea is] outgoing, open, willing to help and share. She talks to the other students in the class and willingly answers any questions they may have,” said Gerspacher.

Kowalik talked about her experiences learning English and why she chose to further her skills.

“[I began learning English] at school nine years ago, but people in France are bad at English. Five years ago I went to New York for vacation and I loved it, so I sought to learn English by myself through TV shows, movies, songs. That is how I learned everything,” Kowalik said.

Kowalik stated when she will move back to France and that she is considering college in the United States.

“I will be staying [in America] until June. I have to go back to France; I do not have a choice. I graduated high school in France last year, so I should be going to college right now. I do not know if I am going to college in France or America yet,” Kowalik said.

She has returned to the U.S. every year since her first visit to New York to expand her knowledge of the English language.