![“[Building nerf blasters] became this outlet of creativity for me that hasn't been matched by anything else. The process [of] making a build complete to your desire is such a painstakingly difficult process, but I've had to learn from [the skills needed from] soldering to proper painting. There's so many different options for everything, if you think about it, it exists. The best part is [that] if it doesn't exist, you can build it yourself," Ishaan Parate said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/DSC_8149-900x604.jpg)
![“When I came into high school, I was ready to be a follower. But DECA was a game changer for me. It helped me overcome my fear of public speaking, and it's played such a major role in who I've become today. To be able to successfully lead a chapter of 150 students, an officer team and be one of the upperclassmen I once really admired is something I'm [really] proud of,” Anvitha Tummala ('21) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Screen-Shot-2021-07-25-at-9.50.05-AM-900x594.png)
![“I think getting up in the morning and having a sense of purpose [is exciting]. I think without a certain amount of drive, life is kind of obsolete and mundane, and I think having that every single day is what makes each day unique and kind of makes life exciting,” Neymika Jain (12) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Screen-Shot-2017-06-03-at-4.54.16-PM.png)
![“My slogan is ‘slow feet, don’t eat, and I’m hungry.’ You need to run fast to get where you are–you aren't going to get those championships if you aren't fast,” Angel Cervantes (12) said. “I want to do well in school on my tests and in track and win championships for my team. I live by that, [and] I can do that anywhere: in the classroom or on the field.”](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/DSC5146-900x601.jpg)
![“[Volleyball has] taught me how to fall correctly, and another thing it taught is that you don’t have to be the best at something to be good at it. If you just hit the ball in a smart way, then it still scores points and you’re good at it. You could be a background player and still make a much bigger impact on the team than you would think,” Anya Gert (’20) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/AnnaGert_JinTuan_HoHPhotoEdited-600x900.jpeg)
![“I'm not nearly there yet, but [my confidence has] definitely been getting better since I was pretty shy and timid coming into Harker my freshman year. I know that there's a lot of people that are really confident in what they do, and I really admire them. Everyone's so driven and that has really pushed me to kind of try to find my own place in high school and be more confident,” Alyssa Huang (’20) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/AlyssaHuang_EmilyChen_HoHPhoto-900x749.jpeg)
Nine students from the Collége de Gambach in Fribourg, Switzerland arrived at the Upper School this Monday to attend classes and experience a typical week in the life of an American teenager.
Activities planned during the exchange program include trips to the Monterey Bay Aquarium and San Francisco. In addition, the students and chaperones attended a cooking class this morning at Cucina Bambini where they learned how to prepare sushi rolls, clam chowder, and Chinese chicken salad.
“Two people almost sliced their fingers off, but other than that, we had a lot of fun,” Collége de Gambach chaperone Sabine Marro said.
According to freshman Samali Sahoo’s buddy Tonia Zurkinden, the most radical difference between the Swiss school system and education in the United States is that Swiss children do not attend high school in the way Americans do.
“We [don’t have] a high school. Our high school is a college. After secondary school, we can go to the college, […or] you can go to an [apprenticeship],” Tonia said.
Furthermore, unlike Upper School students, Collége de Gambach students arrive at school by train, pay for food directly as opposed to it being part of the tuition, and have strictly planned days.
“The Swiss have really strict [schedules]. Every day, they [wake] up at 6:00, then they eat breakfast at 6:30… In America it is more like if I can’t eat at home, I can go take [quickly] something somewhere,” sophomore Zoë Woehrmann’s buddy Fabienne Ghirarden said.
Samali initially applied for the exchange program to experience a foreign lifestyle, hone her French skills, and eat chocolate.
“[I want to get] chocolate. And a friend in Switzerland,” Samali said.
Fabienne and Zoë also applied for the exchange program to make new friends in countries abroad.
“I want to learn more about Swiss culture and how people live daily life in Europe […], and make a friend,” Zoë said.
The Swiss students will leave next Tuesday, February 12. They will reunite with their buddies when the Upper School students travel to Switzerland for the second part of the exchange on June 6.
