Here at Liberty High School we have many foreign exchange students who come over to America to experience the lovely American high school life. Dallas Ridley, a seventeen-year-old Australian girl is one of these students. Dallas is a kind and charismatic person, always open to going on a new adventure. She enjoys watching rugby, a popular sport in Australia. Dallas is also a rather reserved person upon first meeting her. “I’d say I’m quite shy when people first meet me, but then once we start hanging out I open up a lot more.” she says.

   The biggest question everyone has when meeting a foreign student is why they decided to come to this country. In Dallas’s case she had a fascination with American culture from a young age. “I always wanted to experience American high school. I saw it on TV all the time and I just thought, I kinda want to experience that.” Dallas explains. Her favorite American TV show is the early 2000s drama, Veronica Mars. Dallas went upon searching for an exchange program by simply googling it. After talking with her parents she applied online. Dallas’s parents were incredibly supportive with her decision, as they knew it had always been a dream of hers. For Dallas the biggest adjustment she had to face was the start of school. “Back in Australia school starts much later, about nine-o-clock. So having to wake up earlier on top of a massive jet lag was very hard to adjust to.” Dallas says her goals for this exchange are to “open up and be more independent.” 

   For the past seven months Dallas has been enjoying her stay here at Liberty. She has met many new people and come across numerous different things that she could not have in her home country. Her favorite part of America is all the national parks we have. Dallas explains her homecoming experience as “Exactly what I thought it would be.” In Australia students only have one dance that is their prom. Her favorite memory from school is making new friends and hanging out with them. The closest friend Dallas has made is sophomore Aiyana King. “We had math together last semester and for some reason, we just clicked. We really bonded quickly and it was nice to have a friend by my side.” says Dallas. As for her exchange year Dallas is thoroughly pleased with the outcome. “Before this I was a very closed-off person and now I have opened up a lot more. This experience almost forces you to be more social and that was my overall goal.”

   Finally, Dallas’s exchange year has nearly come to an end. On the 29th of May Dallas and her parents will be exploring other cities and states in America. One attraction Dallas is especially excited about is New York. When she goes back to Australia Dallas will start the new school year as a Year 12 because she chose to truly spend it here at Liberty. Altogether, Dallas Ridley has greatly enjoyed and appreciated her exchange year. “I would absolutely recommend an exchange year to others. It’s just a whole new experience for somebody. You get to see something you’ve never seen before and experience a new culture.” Dallas strongly advises anyone who is interested in the exchange program to apply. “It gives you amazing opportunities and a chance to experience something new.”