Alisa Rautio

Alisa Rautio is a foreign exchange student from Finland. Although she didn’t specifically choose Blackfoot, Idaho, she was able to select 4 countries and place them in a specific order of preference. The company that organized her travel then placed her in the country with a family who was able to host her. One thing she loves about Blackfoot High School is the spirit that is spread around and all the sports the school has to offer. Rautio explained that her parents always told her that being an exchange student was a possibility, and they encouraged her to do it and experience new things.  “When the time came for me to go, I went for it, and I’m very happy.”Rautio stated. Her parents were supportive of her visiting another country. Rautio said she also wanted to explore her options so she could be more clear on what she wanted to go into when she graduates. This opportunity will assist her in making decisions for the future as she is currently undecided about her career path. She is the youngest of three siblings, and she does not have any pets. Her favorite movie would have to be Bohemian Rhapsody. Rautio says her favorite place to eat in America is Panda Express. One thing she misses most about home is the food. Her favorite food from Finland is Karjalanpiirakat, she described it as similar to bread or a pie. Her hobbies are cheering and going to the gym. She has been doing competition cheer for 2 years. A question that was asked was it hard adjusting to the American culture? Rautio replied “It’s not hard, but very different. There were a couple of orientation camps that we can go to before coming; they helped with the culture and culture shocks.” Rautio said it has been a lot easier then she thought fitting in here because people here have been a lot more social than people in Finland. In the future, she also wants to travel to the Asian countries and Australia.