Transfer students come from all across the world. Pursuing certain aspects of education they may not get in their own country or even just for the experience. Alice Paven is one such student, coming all the way from Italy in order to be able to attend school here in the United States. This month marks her third month attending school here in America as a Senior, a time period students are often stressed during due to the pressure of graduating and getting into college. These feelings may differ from how a transfer student might feel.
Paven has a fairly clear idea on what she wants to do when she graduates. Law school being one of the major points in her line of sight. Generally speaking she plans to attend college back in Italy once she graduates. While the classes in high school are a lot stricter in Italy, they do have the freedom and ability to choose their major and what schools they are planning to go for. Although just as in America they have set classes you need to have taken in order to pass each year and move onto the next. High school usually lasts around five years in Italy as opposed to the four years we usually have in the United States– with students choosing a specific educational path they want to pursue.
With transfer students coming in and out of the school, the actual transfer process often remains unknown. For Paven, she visited the United States prior to coming here and ended up falling in love with the place. While her vacation wasn’t in Nevada it was the place she ended up with. Paven recalled, “I didn’t choose to come here [Nevada]”. During the transfer process, students are able to select the country they want to go to. Where they actually end up depends on which host family offers to take them in. These host families essentially volunteer to house these students, choosing which one to take in during their stay in their country. Paven recounts her three months here as, “Difficult at first but as I made friends it got better.” As a shy person by nature Paven struggled with making friends at first, the people here were friendly towards her which made things easier to adjust to. She described the teachers as being friendlier, communication between the two sides being easier. Paven was also fascinated by the fact that you were able to choose your classes here, in contrast to Italy where they had set classes and a lot less options for clubs/sports.
Entering a new school can always be nerve racking. Whether you’re coming in as a freshman or transferring into the school during your later high school years. Paven is able to prove that it is possible for newer students to adjust to a new environment. Where she knew no one originally, she was able to make the most of the opportunity and find others she could connect with. So even if you aren’t the most socially outgoing person in the world there’s always a chance to form those bonds.
