CENTERVILLE, Ohio — An exchange student from Japan is sharing her culture with high school students in Ohio.
What You Need To Know
- Shu Nishimura is an exchange student from Japan
- When Shu found out she would be attending Centerville High School she immediately applied for Forte, the a cappella group
- Midway through the school year, Nishimura needed a new host family and Forte’s director and her family took her in
- Nishimura was also able to teach her classmates her favorite Japanese song which the group performed at concerts and competitions
The Korpusik household is always full of music. And not only because Kelly Korpusik, the choir director at Centerville high school, and her two children in Forte a cappella group, reside here. But also because of a new addition to the family this school year.
Kelly Korpusik (left) sits with her host daughter, Shu, and her son, Joel, in their home (Spectrum News/Katie Kapusta)
Shu Nishimura is an exchange student from Japan that is now living with the family, spending time at home, and in the classroom, where Korpusik teaches not only her own kids, but her host daughter in Forte.
Korpusik said when Nishimura needed a new host family in the middle of the year, it just made sense to invite her to their home.
“My kids already knew her, they were already good friends with her,” Korpusik said. “So really it was a no-brainer when we had the family conversation to have her move in with us.”
Nishimura made a strong impression when she reached out to Korpusik to join Forte before even moving to Ohio.
“I was so impressed by her musical skills,” Korpusik said. “Like she was playing the piano and singing and she really was super talented. But even just her professionalism of sending the video and following up with us and going out on a limb.”
Shu sings in Forte class while Kelly directs (Spectrum News/Katie Kapusta)
Nishimura said when she found out she would go to Centerville, she immediately reached out to join the a cappella group.
“They were like you will go to this school, Centerville High School, and it has a really good music program,” she said. “Especially Forte is really cool.”
They soon became family, which isn’t the case for many of her friends also in an exchange program.
Shu sings with her host sister, Sydney, in Forte class (Spectrum News/Katie Kapusta)
“They were struggling with finding new friends and getting used to it a lot,” Nishimura said. “So for me, it was a really easy process because I just met Forte and we were like family.”
She was also able to share her culture with her new friends and classmates, teaching them her favorite Japanese song and then performing it at concerts and competitions.
Shu teaches her classmates the Japanese song (Spectrum News/Katie Kapusta)
It’s something Nishimura said she will never forget, knowing this group will always be like family.
“I will never forget what I experienced throughout this year and I’m going to keep supporting Forte from Japan,” she said.
“For years and years to come, we will be family friends, for sure,” Korpusik said.
Nishimura said she plans to stay in touch with her host family and classmates after she returns to Japan in June for her senior year of high school in the fall.
