Since beginning an international boarding program, students from all around the world have studied at Cotter. There were many new traditions brought from countries such as Germany, Viet Nam, Korea, Japan, China, Serbia, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Afghanistan, and many others.

However, this year, many of the students in the residence center have one thing in common – the Spanish language.
Even though Spanish isn’t necessarily their first language, the students understand each other perfectly. Mexico, Columbia, Brazil, and Spain, there are almost 15 students from these four countries at Cotter this year.

Cotter’s director of international admissions, Erik Christenson, said that this development came out of several factors.

“It wasn’t a specific goal to have a certain number of Spanish-speaking students. Typically, Cotter enjoys students from 13-15 different countries. This year is no different. Cotter is very fortunate to have students from all over the world. This year did prove challenging in that we are still working through the COVID-19 pandemic that has caused multiple issues that have been outside our control. Students in many countries did not have access to flights, visa interviews, and general COVID-19 lockdowns and restrictions. Without those students from China, Vietnam, South Korea, and Japan; Cotter’s international students this year happen to have come from primarily from several Spanish-speaking countries.,”  Christenson said.

From Barcelona, Spain, came 10th graders Jani Hoffer Trias and Mateo Vila, and one 11th grader – Pablo Costa. From Madrid, there are 10th graders Irene Olivares and Marta Hernandez-Lopez. Mexico is represented by 10th graders Roberto Perez Ordaz (Mexico City) and Camila Puente-Infante (Queretaro). Brazil is represented thanks to 11th grader Luiza Cruz (Sao Paolo), and finally, Colombia (Santa Ana) is brought by Solangel Suarez (10th grade) and Stefani Carenaz (12th grade) and Tomas Castillo-Pelaez from (Medellin).

It is a unique group of amazing people that are not afraid of helping others. It was a nice coincidence that they all met here this year, as most didn’t know each other previously. They are in a similar age group between 9th and 12th grade, and they spend a lot of time together. It could also be because of the fact that they bring their culture closer to each other. Most of them live in the international dorm with other students, but Pablo, Jani, Sol, and Stefani live with local families. This does not make any difference for them, as they sit all together during lunch, and then they have extracurricular activities together as well, such as the new Spanish club, show choir, cheerleading, or the musical “Who’s dying to be a millionaire?

There are many schools in Minnesota and even more options around the United States, so why did they all choose Cotter then?

“First of all, I wanted to experience a different lifestyle, improve my English, and access better education and opportunities than those I had back home in Colombia. For these reasons, I wanted to be an international student. I was completing my freshmen at Austin Pacelli, and I heard about a boarding school (Cotter) that would better fit my needs in Winona,” senior Tomas Castillo said. Tomas is in his 3rd year at Cotter.

“The idea of learning new languages has always been an interest in my life, also I think is important to experience new things during your life, that’s why I decided to try something new and something that would benefit me in the future. My aunt found out about the school and their international program, then she encouraged my cousins to live a new experience, and when my family offered me the opportunity I decided to challenge myself and live the experience,” said junior Solangel Suarez.

It was obvious that some kind of cultural shock would be awaiting all of them, so what exactly was their experience like?

“Almost everything is different, the food, people, and life in general,” Sol said.

“I would say there are a lot of cultural differences, but the biggest difference is the way neighborhoods and cities are set up. Every neighborhood in Colombia has a couple of corner stores, public plazas and parks, and small businesses, compared to Winona, where there are almost no public spaces and the only store is Walmart. Also, the schooling experience is better here,” Castillo said.

However, there can be always found something unique that they all enjoy doing. Tomas is an active member of the Mock Trial, so is Stefani, who also trains her brain in the math team, and Sold enjoys art classes that are offered.
They will all graduate in the next couple of years, nevertheless, Cotter hopes to have Spanish-speaking people in the future as well, as the whole Cotter community is constantly learning and discovering fantastic cultures all around the world.

“Cotter is a family. It’s a community. Is it perfect? No. I don’t think any family or community is going to be. I do know that every day I see the administration, faculty, staff, and students working to improve daily. We, as faculty and staff, are constantly evaluating our activities, academics, and athletics with a strong focus on ensuring our decision align with our Mission. In my four years, I’ve seen tremendous progress in giving our students the ability to identify their passions and create an opportunity for them to grow those passions into a strong foundation to move forward in life and share their gifts with those around them. That being said, we can always improve… whether it’s around diversity, inclusion, activities, or academic offerings… but I know Cotter will always make that effort,”  Christenson said