Faces of Memorial: Meet Exchange Student Alissa Halter

For most students in America dropping into a new country, attending a school of 2,500 students, and leaving home for a year on a foreign exchange is an insurmountable challenge. Alissa Halter, a 17-year-old junior from Switzerland, decided to embark on the journey because she "wanted to become more independent." 

Foreign exchanges are common among adolescents in Switzerland. Alissa knows "at least twelve people" from her school that are on one. There are many camps and days that the program puts on to help prepare the students for the exchange. As Alissa notes, "To prepare…we went on an exchange weekend with all of the other exchange students from Switzerland." In addition to this Alissa met several other students that were exchanging in Houston during a trip she took with the program to New York before flying to Houston.

In order to go on exchange students need to sign up almost a year in advance. Alissa says, "I signed up in November 2016 and then I found out that my host family chose me in February 2017." In August 2017 she flew to America to meet Andrew and Janeen McGill, her host family. Alissa lives in a neighborhood near Memorial High School with The McGills. She likes them because "they are really easy going and it is not hard to live with them at all." The first week it was challenging to get used to, but now everything feels normal for her. The family also has young children who she loves spending time with; one of her favorite parts of foreign exchange is traveling with them. She feels incredibly lucky to have been selected by a good host family.

Although she is enjoying her time in America she says "my least favorite part is being away from my friends and family." She is disappointed with the lack of transportation in Houston and feels that her town in Switzerland is safer because it is not a big city. Despite this, the grocery stores in Texas are another of her favorite parts of the exchange because they are huge and carry many different brands not found in Switzerland. 

After watching Alissa run the pacer test (a fitness test at Memorial) in aerobics class, Coach Vicki Bevan asked her to join the cross country and track team. Alissa had no prior experience with cross country because "In Switzerland we don't have sports in school." She is glad that she has discovered running and plans on keeping up with the sport when she returns home.

When Alissa is done with this year she will "go back to eleventh grade." She must repeat junior year because the classes at Memorial are not equal to the ones she needs to take back home. This year is the equivalent of a gap year for her. Although she will not be in the same grade as some of her friends when she returns Alissa is not worried because she many of her friends on exchange will repeat the grade also.

As her year in Houston draws to a close Alissa feels that she has had a fulfilling time. And between experiencing Houston's bravery during Hurricane Harvey, watching the homecoming football game and basketball games, picking up a new sport, and traveling to countless cities, states, and countries: she's had an eventful year.