CHS welcomes foreign exchange students for 2023-2024 school year

Ashlyn Darley, Editor-in-Chief

Every year, Cookeville High School opens its doors to students around the globe. This year, CHS welcomed three foreign exchange students. Those students are Valentina Tegoni from Italy, Ambre Le Colleter from France and Idil Gorgulu from Turkey.

Valentina moved from a small town in Italy to Tennessee for her junior year. Her goal for the year is to improve her English and open herself up to new opportunities and experiences.

“I love my city, and my school is very small. The people are very different here, and they are kind,” Valentina said.

Similarly, Ambre chose to move to the US because she loves to travel, and she wants to improve her English.

“We know English is perfect to speak with everyone… To be open to the world, we need English,” Ambre said.

So far, Valentina and Ambre have found the classes, the transportation, and the food the most surprising changes. In many countries, students cannot choose their own class schedules, so they were shocked when Cookeville offered over 100 class options. They were also surprised that students can drive starting at 16. In France and Italy, one must be 18 to get a driver’s license.

Valentina and Ambre now live together along with their host mom, two dogs, and a cat. Overall, the two girls have found CHS welcoming, with open-hearted students and helpful teachers.

Idil Gorgulu decided to spend her junior year in the United States to further her academic opportunities.

“I’ve been wanting to be an exchange student for six years now. I first saw a YouTube video about it… and I wanted to do that,” said Idil. “We have more opportunities [in the US].”

The first culture shock she experienced was when she first arrived in the US.

“When I landed in the airport, and we were walking to the parking lot, [I noticed] the cars are huge here,” Idil said. “People driving here at 16, that’s really different.”

Idil says the transition was easy for her, and she still hasn’t been homesick. She says her host family environment is welcoming, and she has brothers and sisters.

Idil plans to return to the US for college, and in the meantime, she is taking advantage of CHS’ many advanced placement opportunities.