Sunday, October 6th, 12 Finnish students arrived at Sequoia High School for the Sea to Sea exchange program. The program brings students from Finland to visit the California coast and learn about the art, culture and science in the Bay Area.
The students from Kauniaisten Lukio High School in Finland arrived at Sequoia to meet their host families, who they stayed with for seven days. Their itinerary was packed with activities ranging from Canoeing in Redwood Shores to taking the train to The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. The students were accompanied by art teacher Riika Työ and biology teacher Jarmo Kankkunen to visit and learn about California’s coast, with the purpose of combining art and science together.
Many of the Finnish students who arrived came with the goal of visiting American places they had previously heard of such as Target or Crumbl Cookie.
“It has been really cool seeing the American culture and American people,” Konsta Liimatanien, a Finnish exchange student said.
Many of the students enjoyed getting an insight into the American lifestyle.
“Target was really fun to go to and [I enjoyed] just driving around,” Liimatanien said.
For some, like Finnish student Tomi Prijt, going to the Stanford University Campus was one of his fondest memories. The students also visited a number of museums and even attended a tour of Stanford’s Biology Center and outdoor sculptures given by Sequoia alumna, Jessica Wagner.
The entire trip was planned and organized by Sequoia teachers, Ms. Chu, Ms. Snow and Ms. Da Costa Pinto with the help of Finnish teachers Työ and Kankkunen.
“With so many different things it is hard to just pick [a favorite memory],” Kankkunen said.
The Finnish students also noted the large differences between their home and life in California. These departures from their normal included differences in the kinds of cars and the ways roads are set up. One student, Prijt, noted the cultural differences, saying that during his trip, he “[saw] the Tesla Cybertruck,” which he found to be “quite something.”
Not only did Finnish students get to go on field trips, but they were accompanied by Sequoia students, to introduce them to California. The group of 20 Sequoia students included their hosts and Sequoia students who wanted to support the Finnish students.
“It’s worth missing school,” 10th grader Trevor Snow said.
At the end of the week, as people said their goodbyes and the Finnish students went back home many were crying, hugging, and laughing, but it was not goodbye forever as the next phase of the program will introduce Finnish culture to the student’s American hosts. Sequoia students will visit Grannin Lukio to stay with their Finnish companions in May 2025.