Helen Zhang has been part of the AGS community for nearly two years. At first, she found the rigorous academics challenging while adjusting to the English language, but quickly adapted and fell in love with the welcoming AGS environment. Throughout her eighth grade year, her English skills greatly improved. She enjoyed all of her classes, but found World Studies to be somewhat hard to grasp since it involved a lot of reading and learning about a government that was so unfamiliar to her.  

Even though Helen misses her home in Chengdu, China, life in Atlanta has been an exciting adventure. She is enthralled with the different cultural aspects of the United States, especially the food. Helen lives with former AGS faculty member, Dr. Victoria Fairley, and her weekends are filled with fun activities which revolve around exploring Atlanta. Helen tells The Laurel Leaf that one of her favorite parts of being an international student is experiencing a new environment filled with unfamiliar things. She has learned many valuable lessons from living in a different country, particularly how to be independent and adventurous. Helen encourages students considering studying abroad to not be afraid of stepping outside of their comfort zone.