The American high school experience is often portrayed unrealistically in Hollywood. With stereotypical cliques and a social hierarchy many current students would claim to be nonexistent, television generally lacks an accurate representation of what American high school life truly is. 

However, the intricacies of high school life can certainly not be understated, and when moving to a nation with entirely different schooling, culture and way of life, this becomes only more apparent.

This was the exact case for senior Pearl Mechane Epie, who recently moved to the United States from the West African nation of Cameroon in summer of 2023. Being over 6,000 miles apart, this move would signify a great change in her daily life, with one of the most notable differences being her schooling experience at GlenOak.

Like many who live outside of the United States, Epie’s expectations for what her social experience would be had been built around movies.

“Coming from a different country with a different educational system, I had a lot of expectations, especially because I was watching American high school movies, ” Epie said. “I was expecting the mean girls and the friend groups and all, and I kind of saw some of that, but I didn’t really see the mean girls part.”

When moving to a new district, tasks such as acquiring friends and navigating the building are stressful challenges posed to new students. However, despite Pearl coming from an entirely different background, she found the transition into GlenOak to be a manageable experience, and she accredits that to the hospitality of other students.

“It (the adjustment to GlenOak was not that hard,” Epie said. The people were willing to help me, so if I needed to get to a class I just had to ask someone around me and they were always willing to show me where it was.”

When weighing the academic rigor between her schooling in Cameroon and her senior year workload at GlenOak, she found her classes in American high school to be comparatively easy.

“The system is good, and it’s easier than what I know and what I am used to,” Epie said. “When you do homework here it adds to your semester grade, but back home if you didn’t do homework you would just get beat.”

Corporal punishment has been banned in Ohio public schools since 1994. However, it still remains an integral part of discipline in Cameroon and other African nations.

Reflecting on the most surprising experience she has seen over the course of the year, Epie stated her peers’ willingness to argue with teachers had been a standout experience. 

“During study hall here teachers would yell at students to be quiet and they wouldn’t, but back home if you did that you would get a whooping from the teachers, but here it’s really different,” Epie said. “I kind of find it strange but I understand that it is the system here.”

Of all the moments throughout her time in high school, however, there were a select few that she described as her favorite throughout the entire year. 

“My favorite high school moments were the homecoming dance and the football game against Jackson, but my favorite part of high school was the soccer season,” Epie said. I got to meet the soccer girls who were really nice to me, the coaches were cool, and it was the best experience.”

When evaluating her senior year as a whole, Epie explained that the American high school experience at GlenOak was a valuable one, and one that she is ultimately grateful for.

“It was a time well spent and I’m grateful I got to experience this last year at GlenOak,” Epie said. “The students were nice, the teachers were nice, and I liked how their departments function, especially the choral department.”

The essence of high school in America is unique for anyone who is able to experience it. Some will be sentimental of their time, others will be eager to leave their high school years behind. For Pearl, however, now an official U.S. citizen who will attend Stark State in the fall to pursue nursing, it was a brief, yet memorable experience to conclude her teenage years.