Student Spotlight: Yada
Some may wonder why an international student chooses to come to Seabury rather than any of the other schools in the area. Most would probably say it is because of the opportunities that Seabury holds for its students. New sophomore Yada Suthithavil chose to come to Seabury for those similar reasons.
“The education system in America is not the best, but it’s better than my country's,” says Suthithavil. “Students [in Thailand] study ahead of Americans by going a lot deeper and more complex in math, but it’s not necessary. I just don’t like the school system and classes and teachers and everything about studying, so I think coming to study here is my best choice.”
Suthithavil says it was primarily her parents’ decision to have her come to Lawrence, but she really enjoys the town’s character. “I heard that Lawrence is an artsy community and I’m really interested in art,” says Suthithavil.
Coming into a new school as an international student poses a lot of challenges, but especially with language classes. “This school has language classes that a lot of other schools don't,” says Suthithavil, “you have to take it online at other schools.”. Suthithavil is originally from Thailand but started attending school in the United States last year in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin.
Overall, Suthithavil feels that Seabury is a lot nicer than other schools she has been to, but adjusting from a school with thousands of students to a school with barely a few hundred is a big change.
“The school that I went to [in Thailand] has around 4000 kids from kindergarten to twelfth grade. It’s a boarding school too.” Suthithavil says, “You have only one [classroom] and you sit there all day and it’s the teachers who run around,” says Suthithavil, “There’s also physical punishment for things. Some people got hit with a stick.”
Suthithavil says that having separate buildings for classes and assigned seating at lunch are some aspects of Seabury that she has not experienced at any of her previous schools.
Suthithavil says she has really enjoyed English class. “It’s not that hard and it’s not that easy and the things that we read are pretty interesting.” Suthithavil also really enjoys art class. “You have everything in there,” Suthithavil says, talking about the art room, “and the projects are really fun to do.”
Suthithavil says her first few weeks at Seabury have been great. “It’s going well,” Suthithavil says. “I’m not joining anything yet, but I’m looking forward to more things that will happen.”
