Athletes around Moore - Lea Marechal

This months Athlete around Moore is not actually from Moore County. Lea Marechal from Chalon-sur-Saône, France, near the border of Switzerland. She has spent the school year as a foreign exchange student attending Union Pines High School. Lea has been staying with a family in Carthage, who she now calls her American family. When we sat down with Lea, it did not take long to pick up on her newfound love for America.

Lea, for the past year, has been living out a dream of studying in the United States since she was around six years old. “I’ve always watched American movies and the high schools are so different from the schools we have in France,” said Lea. “I love it. Here you can play sports in school. We cannot do that in France.” If you want to play sports or take part in extracurricular activities, you will have to find a club outside of school or go to a certain high school. “We don’t have football, baseball, no cheerleading,” said Lea. “We just go to school to study.”

Sports are not the only difference between schools here and in France. Depending on what area and grade level, some schools have a four-day school week, some go on Saturdays. Kids in France can spend eight or nine hours in one school day. “The work is easier here. We can also use computers and at home the work is on paper. You can choose your classes, which is something I think is very cool. We can not do that in France, we all have to take the same classes,” said Lea. “I like the teachers here, they are nice in France, but here you can talk to your teachers. In France you go to school to study, at my high school you can not talk in class, it is very strict.”

Lea has taken U.S. History, Drone Pilot, English, Spanish, Math, Drone Piloting II, Economics, and Accounting. Lea’s favorite class has been history. They teach a little about U.S. History in France, but she could learn more here. “I love my drone class too, because that is not something I couldn’t take in France because we don’t have drone class,” said Lea. “I got my pilot’s license last semester so now I can fly.” Lea has taken mostly all honors classes and has adjusted and maintain an A average all year.

During the first semester, Lea was a cheerleader for both football and basketball. “I loved it. That was my dream. I told the coach I was so thankful for them allowing me to make the team. I was not in the U.S. for tryouts so they let me do it virtual. I was nervous, because we don’t have cheerleading. I made the team, and it was probably one of the best things to happen to me,” said Lea.

Lea also played beach volleyball during the spring. “Everything I’ve done here has been so cool. I’ve never played volleyball before. The coaches have been super nice and my teammates have been teaching me how to play,” said Lea.

When doing a foreign exchange program, the student doesn’t get to choose what part of the country they will go to. Student placement is determined by available host families, school, athletics and other factors. “I was very nervous. I mean, the U.S. is huge, and I didn’t know where I would go. I remember I was so anxious,” said Lea. When Lea received the email that she had a host family in North Carolina, she was happy because North Carolina was one state she had the most interest in.

Throughout her stay, she had the opportunity to explore various regions of the country alongside her host family. She has been to 12 states, including the west coast and further south to Louisiana. “The west is so different. I liked it because I noticed that people also have different accents and use different words. It’s interesting to see how different people live in different areas,” said Lea.

Coming to a new country and staying with a family in a new place can be scary, and that is the feelings Lea had. She could talk to her host family before coming, but she didn’t know them. “I thought they were nice and it would be fine, but when I met them I knew they would be just the perfect host family for me,” said Lea. “We have so much in common and I love them so much, I don’t like saying host family because they are so much more than that. They are my American family.”

Lea has to go back home to complete one last year of school, and during that year she will have to decide where she wants to go to college. She has a certain school at home that has always been her dream to attend but this experience has Lea rethinking her future. She has visited N.C. State and loved the American college. “I loved it. College is so different here,” said Lea.

Even though she hasn’t completely decided what she wants to do after college, she has taken an interest in political science and may have her eyes set on being an ambassador or something in politics.

Lea will be leaving at the end of the June and although she misses her mom, sister, family and friends she feels like she has grown during this time. “I’m different. I’ve grown up,” said Lea. “It’s really the worst feeling because I feel like I have two homes, two lives, and two families. I feel like when I am here I will miss friends, and when I am home, I will miss the U.S. and so I will always miss something.”

“I have met so many people and that’s the real American dream, a part of me will always belong to North Carolina now,” said Lea.

Lea was hosted by Chris and Lorna Lassiter of Carthage.

To nominate a student athlete for next year’s Athletes around Moore segment, just send a brief description of why they should be chosen, along with the name of their school, sport, and grade level, to mooredailysports@gmail.com.

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