Among the many new faces in the halls this year are some very interesting people with some very interesting backgrounds. Though foreign exchange students are nothing new in the Blake community, each foreign exchange student has a unique insight into the society that we live in and brings a new energy into the school. Blake junior Lucy Weitong ‘14 is a foreign exchange student from China. Weitong interest in becoming a foreign exchange student was sparked by a desire to “broaden my mind and get a different perspective on viewing the world.” In addition, Lucy says that she wishes to go to college in the United States, and therefore thinks the experience of attending high school in the States would be beneficial for that reason.

For Lucy, the biggest adjustment has been the academics. Specifically, the learning environment, “In China we do not often have class discussion. The teacher is the one who talks in class”, she also observed that, “The teachers here seem to prefer to let students themselves find the answer to a question.” Weitong mentioned that participating in classes taught entirely in English can be a struggle, since it is not her first language. Despite this difficult transition, Lucy has begun to settle in at Blake, and has gotten to know many students and teachers very well. In her opinion, the key to success in a new environment is to, “keep an open mind and be ready for challenge.”