This year, Notre Dame Academy has welcomed a few new faces through foreign exchange programs.

 Sophomore Manuela Cantero Gil (pictured left in the picture) is a foreign exchange student from Madrid, Spain.

Although she came to Green Bay, Wisconsin, all the way from Spain, this isn’t her first time in the U.S. She visited Maryland and Virginia last year.

Gil has faced a few challenges while adjusting to school.

“I’m just trying to find all my classes. The school is so big!” she exclaimed. 

Gil is already getting involved in many different things at school. 

She is running on the cross country team, and she also plans to audition for the school musical.

She explained the biggest difference between schools in Spain and in the U.S. is the different systems used for changing classes. 

“In Madrid, the teachers are the ones who change from one class to another,” she explained.

She decided to become a foreign exchange student because she wanted to expand her horizons on different ways of life. 

“I wanted to live the experience of studying in another culture,” she said. 

She chose Green Bay through a student exchange organization after hearing about positive experiences. 

“Some friends last year came with the same organization, and they loved it,” she explained.

Living with a host family has been another highlight. 

When asked about them, she said, “They are so sweet, and they are really taking care of me.” 

Some advice she would give to Americans visiting Madrid is to visit El Pardo Park, Puerta del Sol in the city center and El Prado Museum.

Gil is excited to spend the rest of the year here and try so many new things.