Leaving home behind and taking a step of faith into a new country might be out of someone’s comfort zone, but for Carolina Vanni, it is all part of her educational experience.

Vanni, who is enjoying her senior year at Armijo, is a foreign exchange student from Italy. She’s finding that living in the United States can be difficult, especially speaking the language. “I studied English but only in a scholastic way so, for me, it’s difficult understanding all the words,” she said. “In order for me to learn English, I need more time.”

Since she’s come to California, she’s been to San Francisco and Six Flags Discovery Kingdom. She has also gone to Water World and was able to enjoy the ziplines. She’s done all those activities with her American family, the Chouinards. Her American sister, Caroline, is also a senior. “I did all these things thanks to her family,” Vanni said.

It isn’t just Chouinard’s family that has made Vanni feel welcome. “All the people here are treating me really well, they are super nice…I didn’t decide to come to California. I decided to just come to the USA, and later on I had the Fate. My Italian agency told me that I had to come to California,” she said. “If I had gotten to choose, I would have still chosen California.”

Vanni has made a lot of new friends and has gotten along with all her teachers. She plans to stay in the United States for ten months. She hopes to learn something new and make new friends every day.

In Italy, Vanni has a 12-year-old sister, Victoria.