La Crescent, Minnesota – a small town with a BIG heart for cultural exchange

High schools partnering with NWSE that actively support cultural exchange programs play a critical role in fostering understanding, diversity and global citizenship among students. They help students broaden their perspectives, appreciate cultural differences, and develop life-long friendships.

In this blog, we’d like to spotlight one such great school, La Crescent-Hokah High School in La Crescent, MN, population 5339. La Crescent-Hokah has welcomed many of NWSE’s exchange students over the years, supported and managed by our veteran and venerated Area Coordinator, Marcia Dull.

Read what Principal Jacob Feldman shares about the reasons why his high school welcomes hosting exchange students:

“La Crescent-Hokah School District is in the far southeastern corner of Minnesota, nestled between the bluffs and the banks of the Mississippi River. It is a wonderful area to raise a family and for children to learn and grow. In this part of the state, one thing that many communities lack is diversity. The vast majority of our students come from similar backgrounds, perspectives, and cultures. However, they are hungry to learn about so much more. That’s where our exchange students play such an important role in the development of our students. They provide a glimpse into the unfamiliar and enrich the experiences of our students as they learn and grow.”

“I’m very happy to be a supporter of exchange students in general, and I’ve been very pleased with the support of NorthWest Student Exchange. The students we have received from the program have been embraced by our school and our community as a whole. They are frequently invited to share their unique perspectives in the classroom, to engage in our extracurricular activities, and to interact both formally and informally with our students. It is a joy to watch our exchange students integrate with the rest of our school so that we can all grow as a result. They do a wonderful job of making our school their home, and we are all better because of it! I look forward to getting to know many more exchange students over the years just as I got Jan, Nikolas, and Elena last year and Carlos, Nicolas, Michal, and Tobias this year. Thank you for the opportunity to be a part of your program!”

Thank you Mr. Feldman for being such a fantastic principal at La Crescent-Hokah Public Schools! All of us at NWSE appreciate your partnership in fostering international cultural understanding!