Bosco 《參加交流生 --- 正確的選擇！》

有些家長及同學誤以為香港成績不好的同學才會考慮出國，參加交流計劃，其實這是一個錯誤的想法！

Bosco在香港一所名校就讀中五，他在學校的中英文成績都非常優越，而且參加很多不同類型的課外活動，是學校的一位活躍份子！還記得他在遞交「美國中學生文化交流計劃」申請表時，堅決表示不留港，要參加交流計劃，希望能升讀更好的大學。

2013年8月，Bosco收到美國機構的家庭及學校資料，他將會到美國的俄勒崗州Oregon，由於Bosco的英語及學術水平都很好，所以被學校安排就讀12班，而且符合學校中學畢業要求。他還參加了學校的越野賽隊及保齡球隊呢！

總括而言，交流的一年，他過得充實愉快！當地的區代表每月都會為交流生舉辦不同的活動，Bosco曾於11月到過三藩市，四月往西雅圖及波特蘭，六月又去加州迪士尼樂園出席畢業典禮，非常開心！Bosco於交流期間，已經深深感受到美國教育與香港的不同之處，所以決定繼續留美升學，並於2014年9月入讀美國西雅圖的綠河社區大學Green River Community College修讀副學士，並將於2016年9月銜接頂級學府 U of Michigan！

以下是Bosco對美國交流及社區大學生活的分享：

Three years ago, I decided to step out of my comfort zone and went on a high school exchange that eventually changed my life dramatically.

Florence, Oregon, a town that I had never thought of staying before and this place had become my so-called “American Home”. When people hear about Mormons, they would usually give you a strange response because the misperception has been deep rooted in our minds. However, my host family is just similar to other Christian families. They took good care of me and brought me to all those different places to provide me the best American experience that I could ever ask for. They not only “corrected” my misperception of the Mormons, but also provided me opportunities to learn the history and culture of their own religion. Even though it has already been two years since I left Florence, I still see it as my home. Therefore, I drove all the way back to Florence to visit them in Thanksgiving. What’s even greater was that my parents from Hong Kong were able to meet my host family and share the happiness of the previous Christmas!

Siuslaw High School has further broadened my horizon. I was able to participate on the Bowling Team, Track & Field Team and the Cross Country Team. I was astounded by how much emphasis the Americans put on sports in comparison to the lack of funding in Hong Kong. I took a Field Studies class which probably the hardest class I took in Siuslaw. In that class, I was required to remember all the scientific names of the trees and be able to identify the species just by looking at the leaves. I thought it would not be useful at first, however, now I think that it is so cool because I can tell what the tree species is when I am travelling around the world!

After I graduated from Siuslaw High School, I entered Green River College to further my study. In here, I met a lot of friends from all around the world. Benefited from the small class size, I became a good friend of my Geography professor who gave me a lot of advices and enlightened me to figure out my own career. My life in Green River is simply awesome. My friends and I had long road trips to different places, such as Mount Rainier, Vancouver B.C. and Victoria B.C.. I deeply believe that if I did not choose to leave Hong Kong, I would never have those experiences and become who I am today.

I would like to take the opportunity to say thank you to my parents who give me unlimited support to let me study abroad. I could never succeed without them. I have grown a lot in America and definitely a more well-rounded person. Therefore, I am looking forward to transferring to a four-year college to further improve myself. Hopefully, two years later, I would bring along with my knowledge and become a contributive citizen in Hong Kong and a reliable pillar of my family.