International Students Return “Home” To LuHi

In a year of unique challenges for all of our learners, LuHi’s international students have certainly met their circumstances head-on! Many of LuHi’s international students were unable to return to the United States before the start of the school year, and so began the year as “Remote International” students. Currently, our Remote International students either participate in their classes in real-time (despite time zone differences of up to 12 hours), or they participate in their classes asynchronously by watching class recordings. Over time, some students have returned to LuHi, and are so excited to learn alongside their LuHi classmates again. Let’s hear from some of our international students, who share their experiences and thoughts about returning “home” to LuHi.

Jasmine ’21

“I am so glad to be back. LuHi has always been my second family. Coming back to school means more than just having in person class, it’s like being back at home. I feel safe and relieved. I am really looking forward to all the senior events this year. Even though things have changed, senior year is still the most special and important year to me.”

Felicia ’21

“The process of going back to LuHi was risky, a little bit scary, but exciting. To get back to LuHi, I took a ‘vacation’ in Cambodia for 14 days. During that ‘vacation,’ the only things which [kept me going] were the enthusiastic feelings of meeting my friends at LuHi physically, talking jokes with Mr. K and Mr. B,  and the warm smiles from Ms. Miciotta, Mrs. Norelius, and Mrs. O’Brien. After almost a month of quarantine time, it felt so lovely coming back to LuHi, meeting all my friends and teachers that I love intensely, greeting them face to face with my loud voice and air-hugging all of them.

It’s a hard time not just for our international students but also for the entire school. It’s not easy to go back to LuHi from the other side of the Pacific Ocean at this time, but I made it. I hope to see everyone’s faces under masks and communicate freely every day in the hallways, cafeteria, and lockers very soon. Everything is going to be fine; every day is better than yesterday. We can overcome this obstacle, and I look forward to dancing at the Winter/Spring Pep Rally with my dance team members. Going back to LuHi doesn’t just mean going back to a school and studying, but also reconnecting to the place that inspires and supports me a lot. It feels fantastic to be back.”

Kacper ’21

“I’m feeling blessed to be able to return to LuHi for my senior year. Studying during a pandemic is different but I’m happy that I’m in this place with people that want to help and are doing their best for us students to have a good senior experience.”