Mexican Exchange Student Interview: Mariana Rivas

By: Tiffany Cheung (Grade 11)

Take a peek into the life of one of our Mexican exchange students and her experiences at WPGA 

You might be wondering why there were some new faces at WPGA in the last few months. While the French exchange students left in December, some new students arrived in the new year, this time, from Mexico! Mariana, Diego and Ricardo are all grade 9 students from Mexico and before they went back home, they were hosted by WPGA’s very own Michelle Lin, Sam Anthony, and Arman Kassam. When asked what is different between her school back home and WPGA, Mariana answered, “I find a lot of things different…something that I love from WPGA are the clubs and all the different classes you can be involved in, [that is] something in our school we don’t have.” On top of having a plethora of clubs, Mariana also noted that her school in Mexico has eight classes per day whereas we only have five. Their school day also begins at 7:25am and ends at 2:45pm which is slightly different compared to us. 

When asked how adjusting to the new environment had been, Mariana answered, “Thanks to the ones around me, it has been easy. I think everyone has been really nice to us and that’s something that I appreciate a lot.” She also noted that staying with a Chinese family has been a new experience with the new food and language she’s surrounded by. Something she stated, that I personally haven’t noticed (because I have only been to one school all my life), is that when she walks through the hallways, Mariana feels that “the atmosphere [is] relaxed and very friendly.”As quoted, “I’ve made new friends and being able to do this trip with friends has been one of the best experiences.”.

One thing Mariana loves about WPGA is the people: “Seriously, they are all very friendly and very warm… I love that people, even if they don’t know you, smile at you and make you talk… I’ve never been to a school like this, so I’m loving this experience and its people.” It’s amazing to hear such incredibly kind words coming from a new student from a different country. Usually, moving somewhere new with a different culture and lifestyle can be nerve-wracking, but we’re glad we made you feel welcome here Mariana!