Guilherme “Gui” Magalhaes is an exchange student from Portugal who lives with host family senior Vince Moede’s family. 

His initial pull to come here was “the American Dream.” Magalhaes said, “I see the movies, and I want to be there.”

Magalhaes said his favorite part about America is the people because “they have all been so nice.” He was not surprised with life in an American high school because of learning about it in the movies. However, he said he noticed the absence of stereotypical bullies who push kids into lockers.

At school in Portugal, Magalhaes picked a subject he wanted to “major” in, and he chose science because he wants to become an engineer. He is taking similar classes this year, such as Physics and Anatomy & Physiology 1 and 2.

Magalhaes played on the soccer team in the fall and is currently in intramural basketball. He is also involved in International Club.

According to Magalhaes, the biggest difference between here and Portugal is the food. “Here it’s worse,” he said. “It’s less fresh and more processed.” His favorite Portuguese dish is steak with rice and beans. However, he said really enjoys Culver’s.

He also said he doesn’t enjoy the weather in Wisconsin since it’s a lot colder than in Portugal.

He will be visiting New York and Orlando with his host family, and he said he is “really excited” to go to both.