Classmates help international students navigate high school

Cardinal Mooney High senior Katherine Liebold’s interest in the international students at her school began last year when she noticed one of the students riding his bike back and forth to school every day. Her friend and classmate, Parker MacPhail, noticed that a lot of the international students sat by themselves during daily Mass.

Liebold and her friend, Ally Firek, started giving Preston Bui, from Vietnam, rides to school a few times a week, and MacPhail started hanging out with Chris Chen, from China. All three wanted to do more for a section of the student body that often went unnoticed.

“They were more secluded; we wanted to help them break out of their shells,” Firek said.

This year the three students began the Friends Around the World Club to connect international students with American peers.

The club was formed just in time: CMHS has 16 international students this year, a record number.
This summer, the seniors gave out goodie bags with Cardinal Mooney T-shirts to the new international students during their orientation.

Chen, a senior, has already attended Cardinal Mooney for a year, but he said the club will be helpful in getting international students to meet not only Americans but also other international students and will give them a chance to practice their English.

“They are coming to get an American education, but we wanted them to get the American high school experience,” Firek said.

The club hosted a social before the first football game Sept. 5. The group plans to host more events in the future and also celebrate different cultural holidays.

Sarah Gates, a theology teacher and the club’s adviser, said she loves seeing the American students leading the rest of the school by example.

“I’ve seen growth in all angles — body, mind and spirit,” Gates said. “They don’t want to do it to look good on college applications. They’re passionate about it.”

She’s seen the founders of the club grow as they’ve networked with the international students. Their experiences of leading the club as peer mentors will give them more insight into the world and help them be more culturally aware — and help them make lifelong friends, she said.

The club also gives host families some assurance that the students they’re looking after are doing well in the school setting. Senior Jack Corey, whose family is hosting Chen for the year, said the club is a good way to let the students know about upcoming events.

“It gives them a nice entry point to the school, breaks down the language barrier and gets them more immersed,” he said.

His family has hosted students in the past for a two-week program, but Chen is the first one they’ve hosted for a year.

“It’s a learning experience,” Corey said. “It lets you get to know the person.”

Corey’s family celebrated the Chinese Moon Festival with Chen and other Chinese students. Chen has also taught Corey some recipes. Corey’s favorite is steak fried rice, he said.

Chen said the hardest thing for him was the language barrier; he had learned English at his home school but didn’t practice. Chen’s advice to incoming international students?

“Talk more. Speak more,” he says.

Preston Bui
Hometown: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Grade: Junior

Favorite American food: Chicken tenders

Favorite activity: Playing soccer

Biggest cultural difference: Sarasotans are friendly and helpful

When Preston Bui moved last year from Vietnam to Sarasota, everything seemed strange.

“It was a different culture, different food, a new family,” he said.

He moved in with his uncle, who already lived in Sarasota, and biked back and forth to school at Cardinal Mooney.

Bui said the education culture in the U.S. is different from what he’s experienced.

“School here is better … teachers are more like friends with us,” Bui said with a smile. “It took me a long time to get used to it.”

Before a few students began to offer him rides to school last year, he was only friends with the other Vietnamese students.

“Last year I didn’t get very involved,” he said.

Being involved this year with Friends Around the World Club will help him know about events going on at school and organizations to get involved in. It will also help him network and practice English, he said.

“Junior year will be the most important,” Bui said.

He plans to attend college in the U.S., and the club will help him when he has to write entrance essays. He hasn’t started applying, but University of Florida is at the top of his list.

“It’s really good for us to practice English and get involved in the American culture,” Bui said.