Despite COVID-19’s effects on the plentiful and diverse group of foreign exchange students at The King’s Academy, a junior, named Zoe Faber, had the opportunity to attend TKA in person for the first time this year. Zoe is King’s first exchange student from Bratislava, Slovakia, and is very excited to be on this journey here at TKA. Having heard about the school from the O’Leary family a few years back, she dreamed of one day coming to an incredible, private, Christian, and American school. Her mother actually participated in a foreign exchange program in California when she was in high school, which is one of the many reasons the Faber Family decided to have Zoe come to the United States. This was not Zoe’s first time to the States, however. Zoe was actually born in Kentucky when the doctors back in Slovakia told her mother she couldn’t have the baby, making Zoe a U.S. citizen. However, Zoe didn’t spend long in the states then and went back to Bratislava where she was raised with her parents and two sisters. In her teen years, she spent three summers in America with some family friends in Orlando and West Palm Beach. It was during these stays she learned about TKA and was hooked.

Zoe came to the school and toured it in 2019 and met with a few teachers and administrators where she learned of the application process that she soon began thereafter. Even with what seemed like such a big setback, the Corona Virus, she was still determined to come to school. But, here she is, a year later living the American Dream at the King’s Academy. She is staying with the Gonzalez family and absolutely adores her host parents and loves the dynamic of their family. One thing she enjoys doing with the family is to go to the gym with them all for their family time. At TKA, Zoe is involved with both the Fine Arts and Sports programs. She loves her Orchestra class, especially after playing violin for twelve years. Zoe is also part of the Cross-Country team. “It was so easy to make friends here and my cross-country team especially helped me find my place and made me feel at home,” Zoe said. She’s very excited to finish out her season and even join the Track and Field Team later in the year. One major difference between TKA and her school back in Slovakia is that she gets to pick her classes and there are fewer of them in a year. Back in Slovakia, she had 14 classes, where here she has 7, including her selected electives. “I loved being able to pick my level of classes and be able to pick extra classes that I can take for fun. It’s also great not having to take three science classes a year,” Zoe noted. Zoe Faber is so grateful to be here, and can’t wait to grow her faith in God, who has blessed her to come to The King’s Academy.