By Emily Zeigfinger ’26
After spotting Alexandra Schmeisser at a sophomore-level intramurals meeting, students were very confused by her red lanyard. Red is associated with being enrolled as a junior whereas sophomores sport yellow lanyards.
Whispers of “Why is there a junior in here?” circulated the room. The intense competition between the four classes at this ritual of spring called Intramurals has long been the tradition at Ursuline Dallas. Sophomore class members would normally view a junior in attendance as a “spy.”
The truth, however, is that Alexandra is not a junior (yet) because she is visiting Dallas from Chile over her school’s summer break, much in line with our winter season. She is currently living with her aunt, Scarlette Vargas, long-time Spanish teacher, before her junior year starts.
Alexandra said that she came to Dallas because she wanted to practice English over her summer. When she got here, one of her biggest culture shocks was the school structure at Ursuline.
“In Chile, we have one classroom, and we all stay together. Our schedule doesn’t rotate either.” Additionally, she added that her school is co-ed, and she lives remarkably close to it.
“The towns in Chile are much smaller than they are here. I can walk to school in a minute, so I usually just go home for lunch,” she said. Her hometown, Osorno, is quite far from Dallas.
At Ursuline, she is taking a variety of classes, including Journalism, French and stage makeup.
Back home, Alex has three dogs and one brother, and adds that she misses her family and friends, although she is excited to be here. This is not her first time in America, she said, as she has been to Dallas, San Antonio, Galveston, and Miami on vacation.
Alexandra emphasizes that she loves to read, having received many books as Christmas presents. “I also love to write, and I want to translate novels when I get older.”
After mentioning her gifts from the Christmas holiday, she went on to say that one of her favorite Chilean celebrations is the 18th of September, which is the birthday of Chile. “We dance and eat lots of good food. It’s one of the best times of the year to celebrate.”
Other favorites of Alexandra in no specific order are American malls, sushi, the movie Five Feet Apart, the color purple, Olivia Rodrigo, Taylor Swift. and Chick Fil A.
THE BEAR FACTS 