Citizens of the World

Montrose School students are citizens of the world, with a school tradition of hosting international students since the school’s inception. Last month saw several American students and faculty members travel to Spain for the beatification of Don Alvaro. Montrose School’s online newspaper, The Looking Glass, recently featured several tales of international travel.

Shubo Yan ’15 entertainingly described her struggles with Chinese bureaucracy to get a VISA to enter America while at home in Shanghai. “Completing the DS-160 form [to get a VISA] leaves you with a serial number with a barcode associated with your DS-160 form. That serial number was my nemesis!” Shubo received a notice at the end of August that she could not get her VISA without  an interview, and on the notice her serial number was scribbled out and a new one written in ballpoint pen.  When she arrived for her interview, the officer would not let her in the building because her serial number was handwritten. These and a series of further snafus kept Shubo from arriving at school till several weeks late.  

“That’s why when someone asks me why I was late, I always answer, ‘Oh… It’s a long story.’ My suggestion to international students: Start to apply for your VISA as early as possible, like in June. Even when I did in July, two months ahead of my returning date, something unexpected might happen.” Read the full story of Shubo’s travails here.

Cristina Veciana ‘17, a veteran of three different international schools, has found, “so far I’m having a great time here at Montrose, where people are the most friendly of anywhere I’ve been, where they are sincere about their faith, and where they really try to be their best selves.” A native of Spain, Cristina attended Canigo, a primary and secondary school in Barcelona, for many years, followed by a semester at a school in Ireland and a boarding school in the north of England. Though she enjoyed her varied experiences, Cristina reported in The Looking Glass that she has found Montrose to be the best fit, the most welcoming of international students and the easiest to live her faith.

“Montrose is a place where surprisingly, teachers are friendly to the students and not their enemies; this is the first school I have ever attended where students and teachers are so friendly and cooperative with each other. Girls at Montrose are actually nice and friendly; and both, teachers and girls seem to care about you - and not only for the first days. And so, although the weather is dreary and cold compared to home (and people tell me this is 'perfect weather' for New England?), you never feel alone.”

Several Montrose students and faculty members were among the 200,000 people from 80 countries traveling to Spain in September for the beatification of Don Alvaro. Madeline Reilly ’15 reported for The Looking Glass, “The Montrosians who took part in the beatification, including myself, all agreed that we could feel the love and joy surrounding us [during the ceremony]. We noticed the friendliness of everyone, including the volunteers. It felt like one big family reunion. Not only did the crowd show the universality of Opus Dei, it showed how many lives Don Alvaro touched during his lifetime.”