As the 2023-2024 school year kicks off, SHS opens its doors to this year’s exchange student junior Nicoeás Beas Stüde. Stüde traveled thousands of miles from his home in Mallorca, Spain to his
new home for the year in Indianapolis with the family of orcestra teacher Thomas Wright.
After hearing about the foreign exchange program through his friends, Stüde decided he wanted to give this new adventure a go. Fortunately, Stüde’s friends in Spain made his process easier by making sure he knew how the exchange program works.
At first, Stüde was thinking about being an exchange student in England but was not able to go due to prices in England skyrocketing, so he and his family decided he would go to the United States instead. Since his arrival in late July, he has had nothing but a great experience.
Naturally, traveling to a new place with different cultures and customs calls for many challenges, but for Stüde, it brings more excitement than anything else. He is excited to learn about American customs and holidays. He hopes that his time in America and his year at SHS will help him achieve his future career goals.
“I’m excited to learn about your customs and celebrate Halloween differently …,” Stüde said. “Also (to) celebrate Christmas here and Thanksgiving.”
In addition to celebrating holidays in the U.S., he is also looking forward to continuing traditions that his host dad, Wright started.
Wright has hosted many exchange students over the years and has created a tradition of taking his students to New York City over spring break.
“The one place that all the exchange students want to go to is New York City,” Wright said. “I make sure that they have a good experience and kind of get to see it for more than a tourist thing.”
He takes the students all over the city to see historic monuments and popular hotspots located all over the city.
“(It is a) big city,” Stüde said. “(I want to) see the big monuments like the Statue of Liberty, the street Times Square and Central Park.”
Although the holidays and traditions excite Stüde and Wright, they both have their eyes on a bigger prize.
Stüde is an accomplished swimmer that has been swimming ever since he was just one year old. He hopes that his time in America and his year at SHS will help him achieve his goal of getting a scholarship to swim in college.
One of his main inspirations for wanting to do
college athletics is Wright’s son, Nickens Lemba, who is currently on scholarship as a track and field athlete at Purdue University.
Stüde has always felt a strong connection with swimming and has enjoyed doing the sport for as far back as he can remember.
“I’ve practiced it since I was very little because I want (to),” Stüde said.
Not only does he enjoy the sport as a pastime, but it has also inspired him to become a marine biologist.
Although the geography of Indiana doesn’t allow for many opportunities with marine biology, Wright believes that he can help equip Stüde with the skills he needs to get an education in this field.
“I know by us helping him to be very proficient in English (and) have a great cultural experience working with kinds of people of different cultures and values … those are all skills that are going to help him,” Wright said.
After Stüde’s year at SHS, he hopes to stay in the country.
“My plan is to stay here with a scholarship for swimming or return to Spain to continue swimming and try to come here again,” Stüde said.
For Stüde, the adventures that come with his exchange year in the U.S. are all bringing him closer to acheving his dreams.
