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Shattering stereotypes with every swap, a groundbreaking exchange program is offering kids from red and blue states a free ticket to explore the diverse landscapes of America, and challenge any misconceptions they might have about places far from home.
“It’s kind of hard to say no to a free trip, but I had this obsession with just seeing everywhere I can, especially parts of the country. It’s amazing to see, especially the Midwest,” Z.J. Schwartz, a program alum from California, told “Fox & Friends Weekend.”
The American Exchange Program gives high school seniors from places like New York City and Los Angeles a taste of rural America and vice versa, dispelling misconceptions about the different ways of life and opening minds to new opportunities – all to bridge gaps within the divided nation.
The sun sets on the skyline of lower Manhattan and One World Trade Center in New York City as a person runs along the Hudson River on February 25, 2024, in Jersey City, New Jersey. Brook Roozen’s exchange experience took her on the trip-of-a-lifetime to New York City. (Gary Hershorn/Getty Images)
Schwartz’s experience took him to South Dakota, where he expected to find little more than a barren landscape with the occasional house, but was pleasantly surprised by the number of things to do.
“I grew up in a very populated area, so seeing huge fields, farms, just stuff that I never thought I’d get to see, those are kind of the best experiences because it’s a whole new part of the country. It’s almost like it’s almost like another country,” he added.
Brook Roozen, a program alumna from South Dakota who was sent to the Big Apple for her trip, said she went into the experience riddled with fear from rumors about dangers in large cities.
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South Dakota, USA, on June 17, 2020. Z.J. Schwartz’s American Exchange Project trip took him to the Mount Rushmore State for his own unique experience. (Karla Ann Cote/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
“I had a lot of people around me telling me like, ‘Oh, you’re going to get your things stolen. These five random people you’re staying with are going to hurt you.’ So many kind of absurd things, so I was a little nervous. I definitely was a little scared,” she told Fox News’ Will Cain.
The experience proved transformative for Roozen and Schwartz, as they each discovered that the reality of their exchanges starkly contrasted with their expectations.
“It was honestly the best experience of my life, and I would not trade it for anything. I met such amazing people during it that my heart is full because of it,” Roozen continued.
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VideoSchwartz’s own ideas of the Mount Rushmore State were shattered when he witnessed parts he never expected and participated in several fun activities that shaped his experience.
“When we flew in, we flew to Sioux Falls, which is a beautiful, vibrant city, and then Flandreau is this tiny town, but it’s absolutely beautiful. There’s shops lining every street, lots of farms with alpaca, bison and stuff that you would never expect to see up there and then [all] of the amazing people are so welcoming,” he said.
“We got to see a baseball game and got to go do all these things. I didn’t really think about what people do for fun.”
VideoStudents participating in the program, according to its website, are funded by donors who are passionate about giving students the opportunity to learn more about the U.S. and their fellow citizens.
Taylor Penley is an associate editor with Fox News.
