
Madeline Chu '27
Oct 11, 2024
Mercersburg Academy proudly hosts a diverse demographic with students from 30 countries, including exchange students from Italy, Denmark, Germany, and Spain. Grace Megaffin, Director of Admission, stated, “This 12-year-old program provides an easy opportunity to offer a unique experience at an American boarding school for students who may live in countries where enrolling for four years isn't standard practice.”
Most students stay for one year, but some decide to stay longer. German native Konrad Spory ‘26 is one who chose to extend his enrollment at Mercersburg. “I particularly enjoyed Mercersburg Academy students’ pride for the school compared to my previous school in Germany and how engaging teachers were with students,” Spory said.
Lisa Tschiesner ‘27, from Germany, agreed, stating, “I really love it. The people here are so amazing. I’m having a great time here. I like my teachers and my friends are all amazing.” She added, “It is super impressive seeing the American style and the American spirit of how to deal with things.”
Exchange students welcome the plethora of experiences unique to Mercersburg Academy and the United States. Mio Boege ‘26 from Germany said, “I am most excited to play tennis in the spring.” Blanca Coronado Pomares ‘27 and Luana Colell Navarro ‘27 from Spain added, “We are looking forward to Irving Marshall week!” Tschiesner said, “I am ready to celebrate Thanksgiving with family.”
Deciding to commit to an exchange year can be a big decision. Navarro said, “When I was here visiting, I liked it so much that I just wanted to live the experience.” Both she and Cornando Pomares agreed: “We wanted to live the American Dream.” Tschiesner continued, “I’m really interested in the American culture.”
Athletics can also be a determining factor in one’s exchange year. Megaffin said, “Mercersburg Academy’s swim program appealed to students in Italy and Denmark this year, two countries you can't find on many boarding school's lists of represented countries.” Spory said, “It's really fun to have so many sports and so many opportunities to showcase.”
Many Mercersburg Academy exchange students first learned about exchange opportunities through existing contacts. “The best friend of my dad, she has an agency that does exchange years. So I heard about exchange years and thought I might as well just do one,” said Boege. Coronado Pomares explained, “My dad also did an exchange year and he was literally obsessed!”
Even if Mercersburg’s exchange students stay for only one year, Megaffin said they are still Mercersburg alumni. She added, “Some exchange students do choose to stay through graduation because they enjoyed their year so much, so you never know!”