Post-graduation summer plans can vary widely among seniors. While many choose to remain at home, some participate in the American Exchange Project.
Since its introduction to Palo Alto High School in 2020, the American Exchange Project, a free two-week exchange program for high school seniors, has brought Paly students to cities all across the U.S. the summer after graduation. In the first week, known as “Travel Week,” students are given the opportunity to live in a different state. The second week, called “Hometown Week,” allows students to introduce their own hometown to other seniors.
Caitlin Drewes, a Paly Social Justice Pathway history teacher who facilitates Paly participation, says the goal is to encourage students to engage with people they would otherwise never meet in a fun and educational way.
“The program is designed to give students across the country a little experience in a part of America that is totally unlike their own corner of America,” Drewes said. “I think kids are often surprised about what that looks like.”
Yoray Chen: Looking forward to Bicknell, Utah
This summer, Paly senior Yoray Chen will travel to Bicknell, Utah. Chen said she discovered the program through TikTok after seeing videos of past Paly participants sharing their experiences.
“I came across a video of last year’s group, so I clicked into the account and went to the program’s website,” Chen said.
Chen said she applied to travel to an unfamiliar place at no cost.
“I first signed up because I thought it would be fun to go to a place I’ve never been before,” Chen said. “I also saw that it was free for students.”
Before she was assigned, Chen had never heard of Bicknell. After researching the town online, she learned that its population is much smaller than Palo Alto’s and that it is located near several national parks. She says she expects the slower pace and smaller community to contrast greatly with her hometown in Silicon Valley.
“There are only 200-something people, so I expect it’s going to be really quiet,” Chen said.
Chen has already met with her host family through a virtual meeting organized by the program, and says she is looking forward to meeting students from other parts of the country and experiencing a lifestyle completely different from the one she grew up under.
“I’m most excited to meet new people,” Chen said. “I’m hoping to learn about a different way of life of other Americans who live in a different part of the country.”
Nathalia Arias: Reflecting on Little Rock, Arkansas
When Nathalia Arias, a former Paly exchange participant, first learned she would be traveling to Little Rock, Arkansas the summer of 2025, she was unsure what to expect. However, after meeting her host family and spending a week in the small Southern city, Arias said the experience challenged many of the assumptions she had previously held about the state. One particular moment that stood out to her was volunteering at a well-recognized organization called the Arkansas Foodbank.
“They told us it [Arkansas] was one of the most food insecure places in the country, so the place we went to was the largest food bank I’ve ever seen, and we were packaging food with huge machines, wearing these scrubs and hair nets, and it felt like Costco,” Arias said.
Additionally, Arias says the trip changed how she viewed communities in the South.
“Being from California, we view red states and the South as being very conservative and mean, but I met this guy and … he was … like any other person that would have gone to Paly,” Arias said.
Overall, Arias believes the American Exchange Project helped build her confidence and prepare her for independent college life.
“It [the trip] definitely pushed me out of my comfort zone,” Arias said. “After the trip, I felt I was able to be more open about new experiences. Now, whenever I do something, I think, ‘Oh, I can do anything because I traveled across the country all alone.”’