St. Pete student ambassadors describe homestays, schools and cultural exchange in Takamatsu, Japan

Three St. Petersburg student ambassadors returned from a two‑week exchange in Takamatsu, Japan and presented their experiences to the City Council, focusing on host-family homestays, school life and cultural activities.

David Thompson introduced students Rachel (Osceola Fundamental High School), Jared Jackson (Lakewood High School) and Jada (St. Petersburg Collegiate). The students described living with host families, attending Japanese classes and participating in school sports day events. Jada emphasized the impact of shared family dinners in her host home, saying of her host family: “It was one of my greatest honors that even miles away, I am known as someone’s American daughter.”

The students described cultural differences — such as removing shoes at home entrances and school cleaning periods after classes — and shared photos showing a high-school baseball game, cosplay-style festivals, a bonsai nursery visit and traditional craft experiences such as udon and soba noodle making. They also recounted reciprocal hosting of Japanese students in St. Petersburg, including museum visits and local outings.

Councilmembers thanked the students and praised the sister‑city program, with Councilmember Corey Givens Jr. encouraging the students to maintain ties overseas and noting that international exchange builds transferable skills for future study or careers.