BLOOMINGTON, IN – A foreign exchange student from Winnipeg is loving life at Bloomington High School North as she checks the state of Indiana off of her travel bucket list.
Ava Bouchard is having the time of her life as a young and carefree high school student in Southern Indiana. She used to only dream of what the state may offer, but now it is finally a reality.
“You know, as a kid, I collected thousands of pictures of Indiana and fell totally in love with the wonder and beauty of such a magical place,” said Bouchard. “
Winnipeg sits just over the northern border of the United States, mere miles from Minnesota. Given the great distance from her home city, Bouchard never thought living and studying in Indiana was a possibility.
“I was convinced the books a read about race cars and the restaurant reviews about pork tenderloins was as close I would come to Indiana,” lamented Bouchard.
That all changed when her high school announced a highly selective foreign exchange partnership with Bloomington North.
“I just couldn’t believe it, I mean, me, little Ava, a chance to go to Indiana?”
Ava spent days crafting her application for the program. She did not sleep once she finally applied.
“My teacher pulled me out of the classroom to talk and I got very nervous,” said Bouchard. “Then, she smiled and said, you’re going to Indiana!”
Ava now resides in a Bloomington bungalow with two IU professors and loves taking walks on the B-Line and eating at Buffa Louie’s.
It is safe to say this experience is living up to her expectations and beyond.
Limestone Ledger 
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