Q&A with Round Square Exchange Student Araceli Guerra

What was most appealing to you about the exchange program?

The sense of independence that I would gain was very appealing to me. I've never been to California and I'm going to college next year, so I felt like it would be a very good first step to knowing a little bit more about how independent I can be. It’s also a great way to get to meet new people from different places, which is very interesting to me.

and not only be able to dance but to be a part of Dance Convocation was amazing; I have never been a part of something like that before. I've been to dance competitions, but I've never seen a show that was basically a play, with a story told through dance, and I just loved that. I gained so many friends from dance; everyone was always so nice. Everyone was trying to get me involved in the dances and everybody was so helpful. That was just amazing.

This winter, Cate played host to an exchange student from Peru through the Round Square exchange program, Araceli Guerra. As part of the program, a Cate student will be hosted by Araceli's family and attend her school as an exchange student this summer. We sat down with Araceli to learn about her experience as a member of the Cate community.

Tell me a little bit about how you got involved with Round Square. I’m from Lima, Peru, and I go to San Silvestre School, and my school is very involved with Round Square. They have a Google Classroom for Round Square where they post about conferences, Round Square Postcards, and opportunities like exchanges. Around September or October last year, they posted about this opportunity. I filled out a form and then was given a time and a place for a little interview. From everyone who does an interview, they choose 10 students to participate.

The program offers you a few different options for the exchange. Why did you choose Cate? When they asked me what I was looking for in a location, I said I wanted to go to a place where I can speak in English so that I am able to communicate and and perhaps a place that was like a little bit urban so that I wasn't like in the middle of the countryside. California is a perfect balance of that because I like nature, just not to an extreme. When they offered Cate as an option, it was the first of the schools that I had heard about before. Then, I researched about it, and it seemed like such a friendly place with a very welcoming community. It looks very bright and I saw some pictures of class going on outside in the garden, which seemed very innovative to me. I also liked the variety of students that I saw and their different backgrounds and interests that they all had.

What was your experience like once you arrived at Cate?

It was definitely just as I expected, if not better. In my first few days I met one to three people a day and on my first day, I actually met probably 10 or 15 people! Everyone was very friendly, understanding, and easygoing. I have loved it here. The highlight of my experience was definitely dance. I’m a dancer, and being able to come here

What did you enjoy learning about in the classroom at Cate?

Photography and history were my favorite classes. Photography was something that I've never taken a course in, but I do love taking pictures of my surroundings and my friends, so when they told me that they have a photography course, I was very excited to take it and it's definitely been very fun.

With history, I didn’t know what to expect but the teacher was just so nice and generally understanding. She never pushed me to specifically do anything that I couldn’t do because she knew I didn’t have a strong background in history. It was just a very comfortable experience because she said that I should treat this experience like a sponge – don't be stressed; just absorb everything you can.

What has surprised you about your Cate experience?

It has really surprised me the level of friendliness here and how welcoming the community has been. Everyone is a good, civil community member, and they are all helpful, friendly, easygoing, understanding, and empathetic here. It has been amazing.