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The Legacy of Lucy Ha

On June 23rd of 2022, my family had the pure luck of receiving Lucy Ha as our exchange student for the school year. I was the one who had led the charge of having an exchange student, as my sister was going off to college and I was terrified of being an only child for the first time. The days leading up to her arrival I was an intense mixture of excitement and nerves about what the next ten months would hold for the both of us. I wondered if we would become close as I hoped for, or if we would simply become roommates and I’d only see her for dinner each day.

My first memorable experience with Lucy was when we took her on a family vacation to Florida. We each rode bikes for about 20 minutes to reach a local library and play video games. While we were there, my mom called me to say it would be storming soon and we needed to bike back home. Well, the rain poured not one minute after we began the trek back and we found ourselves absolutely soaked in mere seconds. I looked back at Lucy and she was laughing as we biked on the wooded paths back to the condo. It was only after we were walking back up to the condo door that the rain stopped, we looked at each other, laughed, and preceded to complain about how we had been outside for the only fifteen minutes that the storm was actually occurring.

Lucy and I grew closer than I had ever imagined, our interests could not have been further apart yet we still felt close as sisters. Lucy’s expertise were in science and math whilst mine were in social studies. She loved fruit more than anything whereas I definitely enjoyed chocolate better. She took up running and joined the track team while I definitely preferred the inside sport of swimming(she did of course join swimming as well though). The one thing we had in common more than anything was our friends, Lucy fit in with my group of people as soon as she landed, and became so close with the same people I’d known for years. She participated in Christmas Secret Santas and end of semester potlucks all enjoyed in our beloved Mrs. Shumaker’s room. Lucy left an imprint that not only now feels empty, but also allows all of us to look back fondly on our high school years instead of thinking about the awful three-class-in-a-row World Affairs final.

As Lucy looked back onto her time here, almost a year after it had ended, there were certain things that I couldn’t believe she even remembered; the Oram’s donuts on Saturday mornings, the track season, the concept of left-overs. Such mundane things in our everyday lives left such an impression on her that she continues to look back fondly even after months have gone by.

Now, as someone who had the opportunity to live the somewhat opposite experience of Lucy, I will list a few things that I remember from my time in Korea, her home country:

Convenience stores within seconds of my front door
Buses and subways that could take me all over the city
Finding barbecue restaurants on every street
Private Karaoke for pennies
Every cafe had cake and fancy drinks

My time in Korea was much shorter than Lucy’s time in the US, but I like to think we share an understanding of each other and where we both come from that many others do not. Just as my family took Lucy across the US to Florida, New York, and DC, Lucy’s family took me across the country as well, to amusement parks, beaches, ancient buddhist temples, and famous memorials of past kings.

Finally, I will say that the impact Lucy left not only on myself but on so many others in the Avonworth community is unparalleled, what some of us would do to get her back here for another year likely should not be said. Not only does Lucy find herself better for coming to our small community, but all of us who had the opportunity to spend even a little time with her find ourselves all that much improved as well.

Below, I will leave a list of takeaways that Lucy has from her time in the US, some funny and some heartfelt. I will also leave some of the faculty and student opinions of Lucy that they have from being either her classmate, friend, or teacher.

It was interesting to see Lucy’s understanding of mathematics and how the concepts were taught overseas. Lucy was a great student and was a joy to have in Honors Trig and PreCalc

Duke Johncour

Overall, she was a special presence in class. Polite, often energetic, certainly thinking often about what was going on around her…Lucy was amusing to listen to and watch as she experienced American schooling here at Avonworth. She alternated between confusion about the flow of assignments in Journalism (much much more laid back and flexible compared to all her schooling experiences) to a mix of shock, surprise, and trying out being “laid-back” in some ways as the semester moved on and the lack of consistency and even a bit of rigidity she was used to from Korea never actually happened in class.

Scott Tuffiash

I taught Lucy CHS Java. She excels at solving problems. She met challenges head-on, getting her work done on time and never cutting corners. She was funny and pleasant.

Tony Cario

I admire Lucy (one “k” from being fortunate) Ha. She is a meticulous student who “worked her tail off”. She never made excuses; she just made results…excellent results. As an educator of 30 years, I am proud to state that Lucy Ha is one of my most memorable students. Avonworth, the U.S., South Korea, and the world are better for having Lucy Ha a part of them.

Doug Pastore

Lucy is one of the kindest people I have ever met. She never failed to put the biggest smile on my face and she is such a bright and bubbly person. I loved having her here at Avonworth with us and getting to know her. She always knew how to have a good time. My favorite memory with her was our homecoming. Seeing her so happy and having so much fun was so heartwarming. We all miss her so much and we hope that she is able to come back to the U.S someday!

Riley Adams

I didn’t talk to Lucy very often, but she always had this infectious positivity that made everyone around her smile. I remember running the Chase the Antelopes 5K with her, something I do every year, and it was super cool to experience it from a different perspective!

Emma Noss

I remember trying out for basketball with her. Now not to stereotype but we are two very short Asian girls, and it was more so just for the experience for both of us. Despite me having played for a few years, I never really felt part of the team as everyone else had played together since they were little. Even though it was Lucy’s first time, she never failed to make me laugh and we made jokes about how this was just part of the American experience we needed to try. One time after practice, there was a boy’s basketball game and I distinctly remember us both being shocked at the capabilities of others, and then us being content with our academic successes. We watched the game and were happy just admiring everyone else’s talents. Every practice with Lucy was always amusing, and I still think about it every time I go to a game.

Airah Shafiq

You meet people in life who serve as both positive influences and growth pivots. I will never forget what a privilege it was to go to school with Lucy for even just a year.