Lucia Hernando Andres didn’t know much conversational English when she first stepped into a classroom at Owensboro Catholic High School as a foreign exchange student from Spain. Emily Smith could tell Hernando Andres looked lost, so she offered some help. The two girls, both of whom graduated Friday night, didn’t know they’d end up not just developing a close bond but also discovering some surprise connections with one another.
Hernando Andres said many students in Spain complete a foreign exchange program so they can be immersed in an English-first environment. She wanted to go somewhere outside of Europe, and her own family’s experience led her to Kentucky.
Hernando Andres has twin brothers who are 6 years older than she is. They previously came to the United States as exchange students, attending high school in Paducah for 1 year.
The exchange program was no longer active at that school, so after calling around Hernando Andres ended up connecting with Owensboro Catholic.
She arrived in October 2022, with no family in Owensboro and knowing only basic English.
“I took English my whole life, but the class is not the same as real life,” she said. “You can know enough for writing or listening, but what you learn in class is not really how people actually talk. It was so scary. It was a new family, new friends. I didn’t know anything about anything.”
Smith could see Hernando Ares was nervous on her first day.
“She just came into my nutrition class one day, and she looked super lost,” Smith said. “I knew everyone here so I knew she (was a new face). I went up to her and asked if I could look at her schedule, and I directed her to her next class. I didn’t know this is where we’d be now.”
Neither knew they’d develop such a strong bond over the next 2 years. Hernando Ares still largely kept to herself early on, but with some encouragement she finally decided to hang out with some other students.
Smith said it was toward the end of the football season and she knew Hernando Andres wanted to go to a game.
“We were just like, ‘Hey, come on, get ready with us.’ At that point, there was still a huge language barrier,” Smith said. “It was a big learning curve, and I’m just so impressed by how far she’s come. I think she was just scared to talk because she didn’t want people to make fun of her. But we’re obsessed with her. I wish she would have gotten out of her shell sooner, but I can’t imagine being in her place.”
Hernando Ares said she was grateful for the compassion shown by her classmates.
“The people I met here were all super nice and they were trying to make me feel like I was at home,” she said. “I feel Catholic is like a family. It’s a really small school. Some people may not like that, but I think it’s great to know everyone in your whole school. And the teachers are so friendly. They see you as more than a student, they want to really know you. I love that.”
Smith said she’s also thankful for the school’s size, saying that played a role in her talking to Hernando Ares.
“If I did go to a bigger school, I might not have recognized everyone in the first place, and so I would have definitely been less likely to reach out to her because I may not have known she hadn’t been a student all along,” Smith said.
As their friendship developed, they realized they had some unique connections. Early on they realized Smith was born in Paducah and went to kindergarten there, creating a loose crossover with Hernando Ares’ brothers.
More recently, they found out about a connection in Spain.
“My grandma used to work for a program that placed foreign exchange students, so my mom had a lot of those students in her house growing up,” Smith said. “Two of them were from Spain, and one of them is from Santander, where Lucia’s family goes during the summer.”
The girls hope to go to Santander together someday, with Smith and her mom already planning a trip to Spain for next year. Hernando Ares is returning home on Monday with her mother, who flew over to see her daughter graduate.
Hernando Andres and Smith both said they’ll stay in constant contact with one another despite the distance, and they are happy to have met one another.
“It’s hard to think of my 4 years here without her,” Smith said. “It’s been really great. I’m gonna miss it a lot.”
