Long-time exchange student host John Herman (left) is seen with foreign exchange students Dani Bonaut (middle) and Swann Dauphin (right). Both students will be spending fall semester at USC.

John and Cindy Herman are continuing their long tradition of hosting foreign exchange students for United South Central High School, with two new students joining them for fall semester 2025: Dani Bonaut from Spain, and Swann Dauphin from France.

Dani and Swann are the 15th and 16th exchange students that the Hermans have hosted, and the second group of different-gender students they have hosted, with Ben and Giulia (who the Hermans hosted during spring semester 2025) being the first. And, speaking of Ben and Giulia, they had a hand in selecting Dani and Swann as the Hermans’ next set of exchange students.

“We had Ben and Giulia look over the applications for exchange students for fall 2025 while they were here, and they picked these two out for us,” Cindy shares. “I think they made a very good choice.”

Unfortunately for Dani and Swann, however, they almost didn’t make it to Minnesota at all – given the recent global uncertainty surrounding the safety of traveling to the U.S., the Hermans had to take extra precautions to ensure their students arrived safely.

“We had to fill out a lot of extra paperwork this year, to make sure both of our students could make it to the United States safely,” John recalls. “I was texting both of them during every step of the process, to make absolutely sure they made it here safe.”

The Hermans also noted that this was the first summer that none of their former exchange students came back to visit them, likely because of the uncertainty surrounding travel to the U.S.

“We had four former exchange students tell us that they were going to visit us this summer, and none of them wound up coming to see us,” Cindy explains. “There are travel advisories around the world warning people that it isn’t safe to travel to the U.S. right now. It’s scary for everyone.”

Happily, both Dani and Swann made it to Minnesota, and both of them had very good reasons for wanting to come and spend a semester with the students of USC.

“I heard about the exchange program from other students in my school, and I wanted to experience the culture in the United States,” Swann says.

“I came here for a lot of reasons – I wanted to learn the language, and also open my mind and see what life was like in other places,” Dani adds. “I also wanted to learn to spend time away from home.”

Rather than arriving in September like most foreign exchange students, Dani and Swann arrived in August, in order to get a head start on learning English before the school year started.

“While learning to speak English, I realized that I have a lot more of an accent than I thought I did,” Dani admits. “However, I also realized that I understand people a lot better than I thought I would.”

“Pronunciation is hard,” Swann shares. “English is a very different language from French.”

Despite the initial language barrier, both Dani and Swann had good things to say about their classes at USC, citing the helpfulness of their peers and the various differences in teaching styles between USC and their schools back home.

“People are very friendly here, and the teachers are super helpful,” Dani explains. “In Spain, teachers don’t really answer questions from the class, and the exams are much harder. Teachers are a lot more chill in the U.S.”

“The teachers are very kind here, and the students have been very welcoming,” Swann adds.

Both students are also looking forward to joining USC as athletes, with Dani joining the football team and Swann joining volleyball. They are also very curious about some of the other sports offered here in the U.S., especially the ones that they can’t play back home.

“I’m going to join the volleyball team, and I’m considering joining the new co-op gymnastics team as well,” Swann remarks. “I’d also like to try playing hockey while I’m here, but I don’t think USC has a girls team.”

“I’ve noticed that lots of things are provided for athletes here in the U.S. that we would have to get for ourselves in Spain,” Dani shares. “They give us uniforms, we have meals together as a team during away games, and they even light off fireworks during the football games, which you would never see back home.”

Both students are also looking forwards to another hallmark of Minnesota, that being winter and the snow that comes with it. However, Dani says he has some reservations about the changing seasons.

“My dad came to the U.S. as an exchange student when he was a kid, and he wound up catching pneumonia,” Dani admits. “He told me to be very careful when going outside in the winter, so I don’t get sick like he did.”

“I’m excited to get to see the snow this winter,” Swann comments. “I live near the mountains back home in France, so I have seen snow before, but this will be a very different experience.”

While Dani and Swann haven’t had many opportunities to travel with their host families just yet, John and Cindy do have some activities in mind for their exchange students to experience while in Minnesota.

“I imagine we’re probably going to the Mall of America sooner or later, and I’m also thinking of taking them to Chanhassen Dinner Theater to see Guys and Dolls,” Cindy shares. “We’ve also got plans to go watch a Mavericks hockey game at some point in the season.”

Despite the trials and tribulations that Dani and Swann have faced in making it to the U.S, both of them have enjoyed their time with the Hermans, and wholeheartedly recommend that their peers join the exchange program.

“The best advice I can give to students who want to join the exchange program is to try and listen to things in English before you come to the U.S.,” Dani explains. “That way, you can understand what’s being said, even if you don’t speak English very well.”

“I would invite my peers to discover the culture and the language when they travel abroad,” Swann adds. “People are different everywhere you go, and it’s important to experience that for yourself.”