To the Editor,
My name is Ivan Kovtonyuk, and I’m an exchange student from Ukraine through World Heritage Exchange Program. Last year I received a scholarship to come to the U.S. and study …
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To the Editor,
My name is Ivan Kovtonyuk, and I’m an exchange student from Ukraine through World Heritage Exchange Program. Last year I received a scholarship to come to the U.S. and study here for a year.
This was truly life-changing! I made a lot of friends here and improved my English, especially writing. Also, during my exchange year, I got to visit a lot of American cities and states and even met Missouri Governor Mike Parson.
At first, I would like to say thank you to FLEX and World Heritage Exchange Programs for providing me such a wonderful chance to come to America and study here. This was my dream for a long time, and I’m still ecstatic that it came true. Secondly, I want to say thank you to Warren County and especially the city of Warrenton and its people.
This place has become my second home because I feel very comfortable and welcomed here. The people of Warrenton are really friendly and helpful, and the city itself is full of beautiful places.
Also, my biggest appreciation goes to Warrenton High School, its teachers, and of course students. I really love studying and spending my time there.
All the teachers are very qualified, friendly and helpful. This kind of healthy environment helped me study immensely, which led to me becoming a Warren County School District V.I.P.! I was so happy about it because this meant that I was truly accepted by the community.
The students in Warrenton High School are very nice and helpful too. I don’t even know how I would get around school the first week if it wasn’t for their help.
I want to finish this letter by talking about my host family. Aaron and Cara Jones are wonderful and loving people who accepted me into their family and made this exchange year perfect for me. I never got homesick while being in America because we always had something to do: We travelled, played games, watched TV together. I’m also thankful to my two host sisters, Aarica and Sara. I have always been an only child, so this experience was new to me too. We hung out and talked a lot together, which made our bond even stronger.
Overall, this year was probably the best one for me, and that’s why I’m thankful to every person, who was part of it!
Ivan Kovtonyuk
