On the final day of the school year, 23 John Jay students traveled to Cagnes-sur-Mer, France, to participate in the second half of the biennial French Exchange Program. Back in March, we hosted our French counterparts from the Lycée Renoir, showing them New York and introducing them to our school and American culture. On June 26, the John Jay students began their adventure in France. 

Cagnes-sur-Mer is a seaside town located on the Mediterranean coast between Nice and Antibes. For 16 days, we lived with our French families and immersed ourselves in French customs and language. We visited palaces, museums, exotic gardens, châteaus, and Roman ruins throughout the Côte d’Azur, Provence, and Monaco, and we ate some of the best food (and ice cream) in the world. Naturally, we also spent plenty of time on the world-famous beaches of the French Riviera building friendships with our French hosts that will last a lifetime. It was a transformative experience for all of the John Jay students. I am delighted to have been able to participate in this wonderful international tradition.