Five students from the World Leading Schools Association (WLSA) Shanghai Academy participated in the East to West program at the Upper School for two weeks from Feb. 2-13.
WLSA Shanghai Academy is an English-language international high school that offers the East to West exchange program which allows students to visit partner schools in countries like the U.S., U.K., Canada and South Africa. The school is a founding member of WLSA and one of the institutions outside of China that WLSA exchange students may attend.
The Chinese Cultural Club (HWCCC) and students taking Chinese as their world language were invited to be a host family for the international students. The international students shadowed their host students and also followed a schedule built by the school.
Director of the Kutler Center Jim Patterson said the WLSA Shanghai Academy East to West Program at the Upper School gave international students an opportunity for a glimpse of what being at an American institution looks like.
“WLSA focuses predominantly on cultural and educational exchange between the member schools,” Patterson said. “Once they sign up for these international programs, not only are they preparing to leave China for university, but they have opted out of remaining in China for university. The exchange opportunities give them a chance to be somewhere outside of China and understand what the students will be doing as they attend college in America.”
Penelope Cheng ’28 said her family volunteered to be a host family because it was an opportunity to bond with someone from a different background.
“We chose to be a host family because we thought it would be a fun experience and a way to connect with someone who has a very different life from our own,” Cheng said. “Personally, I was really excited to see what games and traditions our exchange student would introduce to us, and I wasn’t disappointed.”
Tanner Benjamin ’28, who hosted an exchange student, said his family put in effort into fostering a warm, welcoming atmosphere for the international student.
“My family is vegetarian, but we offered and cooked meat for him as he wished,” Benjamin said. “I eagerly applied my Chinese knowledge with him, attempting to improve my proficiency as well as helping him feel most comfortable.”
Cheng said her family prepared for the exchange student to have a smooth transition when she arrived at their house.
“When the exchange student arrived, we tried to make the transition as pleasant as possible,” Cheng said. “My mom did a lot of the preparation for the student’s arrival, and she often said that she wanted to treat the student how she would want me to be treated if I were doing an exchange program.”
Iris Chen, an 11th-grader at WLSA Shanghai Academy, said she selected the Upper School for her East-West program because of the diverse classes offered.
“I chose to come to Harvard-Westlake because of the variety of courses here,” Chen said. “In my school, there is a limit for course selection, but here, there are more options like criminology, gender studies and business.”
Patterson said the study abroad program is also beneficial to the school community because it prepares students for international careers.
“The reason why the school is a part of this program is to provide cultural exchange with students who are very similar to our school in many aspects, but grew up in a different culture,” Patterson said. “The cultural exchange is important for students as they think about navigating the rest of the world. A lot of Harvard-Westlake students will work internationally or in some type of business that has an international component. These types of programs give you that opportunity to better prepare for future international careers and understand the backgrounds of different cultures.”
