On Aug 3, the Tunkhannock Rotary Club had the pleasure of welcoming 2015-2016 inbound exchange student from Belgium Louis Metens and his parents during their visit to Tunkhannock. Louis talked about how the exchange program influenced his decisions after his year in Tunkhannock.
Louis admitted that he had no idea what he wanted to study when he graduated from high school in Belgium and that he was a little lost. At that time, he considered studying communications. When he got to Tunkhannock, he got to learn about a lot of people from around the world and got to learn more English. He also discovered new ways of learning and how American teachers interact with their students, which is different than his experience in Belgium. While at Tunkhannock Area High School, he took speech, public speaking and debates, journalism and other classes that he did not have access to in Belgium.
Law had already been of interest to him and his ability to argue was noted in his classes here and by his parents in their communications with him. So, after his exchange year, he decided to go to college in the Netherlands to study law. His is studying European Law at Maastricht University and is having a great time. He is studying in English, but he is also learning Dutch. Louis hopes to be jurist counselor for business law.
Louis remarked that it is hard for the inbound exchange students at the beginning of the year, so please help them by interacting with them whenever possible, making them feel welcome and talk with them so they can practice their English.
Louis’ parents said the biggest changes that they noted after his time in Tunkhannock was that he was more confident and independent.
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Pres. Samantha Maruzzelli (left), Pascale, Gerald and Louis Metens