Foreign exchange students graduate

Heather Rawlyk

Thursday, June 3, 2004 | 11:08 a.m.

When 17-year-old Zuzanne Pundova of the Czech Republic was assigned Las Vegas as her foreign exchange destination for the school year, she knew she was in for a major change in lifestyle.

Having seen the city in several movies and television shows, the teen said she expected Las Vegas to be "all glamour with movie stars on every corner." What she didn't expect was to learn that outside the Strip was "a completely normal town" that would give her the best experience of her life.

"I fell in love with the lifestyle here," she said. "It took a lot of courage to spend the year in Las Vegas as an exchange student, but it has been an experience I will take with me forever."

Pundova joined 133 foreign exchange students representing countries from all over the world at the Las Vegas Academy Auditorium Wednesday evening for the Foreign Exchange Student Recognition Ceremony to celebrate the completion of their senior year spent in an assigned Las Vegas high school.

At 6 p.m. the students lined up outside the auditorium dressed in different colored graduation gowns to represent the high school they attended. Students were also grouped with their home countries in alphabetical order.

Following a leader, who held a cardboard cutout flag with the name of each group's country, the students walked in across the stage to collect a certificate of recognition and a miniature American flag.

Once seated, they listened to speeches from a variety of guests, including KLAS-TV news anchor Polly Gonzalez and Dr. Linda E. Young, director of the Equity and Diversity Education program for the Clark County School District.

Gonzalez told the students to forget the phrase "what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas" and encouraged them to spread the news to people in their home countries about their experiences in the city.

Stefan Unger of Germany, who attended Palo Verde High School this year, said he promises to share his experiences with people back home in an effort to "bring the world closer together."

"There are so many things to tell them because things are so different here," he said. "The streets are wider, the cars are larger and there is so much more diversity in the classroom here. Americans are very different.

"People here are very competitive and very busy," he said. "But they are also very welcoming."

Tonia Michaely, a foreign exchange student from Germany who attended Basic High School, said she was excited to share her experience in Las Vegas with her friends and family.

"The whole experience was a learning process," she said. "I had to learn to put salt on my popcorn instead of sugar. I rode my first roller coaster, rode my first jet ski at Lake Mead, drank my first Slurpee and experienced my first brain freeze.

"I also learned about Starbucks, which I'm addicted to now," she said.

American customs weren't the only things the students had to adapt to. When asked to name some of the major differences between their home countries and Las Vegas, many students said population and weather were highest on the list.

Raised in a small village with a population of about 100 people, Pundova said she was mostly shocked at the size of Western High School, where she attended.

"You can imagine what a big change that was for me," she said. "The schools here are so much bigger. They are bigger than my village."

Helen Brand, a 17-year-old from Germany who attended Green Valley High School, said she was impressed with the atmosphere the city has to offer.

"It was quite a surprise to see how new and shiny everything is here," she said. "The buildings are very big and there are lights everywhere. It is quite nice to see."

Mariana Nicolau, an 18-year-old from Brazil who also attended Green Valley High School, said spending a year in Las Vegas was the "perfect way to experience American culture."

"There is so much culture here to learn from," she said. "Being here was a gift really. Everything was amazing and I've never seen such diversity before."

Petra Dolezelova, 18, from the Czech Republic, said her experience at Basic High School was so great, she plans to come back to America to attend college.

"I plan to go to Boston University someday because I love America and I love math," she said. "I loved my time in Las Vegas. You see it in movies, but you get here and it's so big you can't even describe it."

Piavon Bothmer, 17, from Germany, also plans to make a trip back to the city to visit her classmates at Las Vegas High School.

"I'm coming back for New Year's and also next summer," she said. "I love this city, so yes, I will definitely be back.""