On Friday, Nov. 7, twelve Finnish students and two Finnish teachers from Porkkalan Lukio left Seattle after an eleven-day visit to UPrep.
After a ten-hour, 4,181.4-mile flight from Helsinki-Vantaa Airport, these Finnish students and teachers arrived in Seattle on Monday, Oct. 27, for a two-week visit at UPrep. UPrep’s partnership with Porkkalan Lukio began in 2022, after being initiated by former teacher Michaela Patella-Buckely.
Global and Outdoor Programs Manager Kate Williams said this marks only the second time Finnish students have visited UPrep.
“It’s definitely the newest program we have in terms of number of interactions,” Williams said. “I think in a new program, the thing that you really want to work towards having good alignment on is program philosophy and values.”
Throughout their stay, students spent about half their time immersed in campus life, attending classes, sporting events and club meetings. They spent the other half exploring Seattle by visiting tourist sites such as Pike Place Market and the International District.
Williams believes that community involvement is key and encourages students and teachers to engage with their Finnish counterparts.
“They’re not here to meet me and go to class with me. They’re here to meet you,” Williams said.
Brian Gonzales, director of innovation and experiential education, highlighted the trip’s significance, especially since it is Global Link’s twentieth anniversary.
“It was a program that was designed to help students connect with communities around the world and look at things like travel beyond the destination and the sites, but more about the people, history and relationships to appreciate the complexity of culture,” Gonzales said.
The goal of UPrep and Porkkalan Lukio’s ongoing cooperation is to foster a mutual understanding and appreciation of one another’s cultures, and this visit is only the beginning.
“It’s a really awesome way to involve a broader swath of our community with Global Link and to really show off who we are to our partners around the world,” Williams said.
