Several Spartans jet-setted across the globe during the recent winter break, expanding their friendships and strong bonds from The Hill to the world.

Some international students invited their classmates and friends to visit them in their home countries, which included Jamaica, Asia and even Mexico City. These experiences reflect one of the many benefits of St. Stephen’s diverse Spartan community, which includes students from across Texas, the country and the globe. Bonds formed among day and boarding students often grow into lasting friendships that extend well beyond their time at St. Stephen’s.

International boarding student Jennifer Liu ’27 hosted three classmates in her hometown of Shanghai: fellow international boarding student Valeria Gonzalez Reed ’26 from Mexico City and day students Lucia Shahan ’27 and Sophia Yu ’27. The visits were incredible learning opportunities for the students to not only visit a new city and learn about its culture but it was also a chance for students to connect their St. Stephen’s history lessons to a real life experience.

“My favorite part of this trip was having my closest friends from different cultures and backgrounds experience my culture in the city where I was raised,” said Liu.

The tight-knit group packed their visit with activities, including a trip to Shanghai Disneyland, shopping in vintage stores, cycling along the Huangpu River, celebrating the New Year at a restaurant on the Bund overlooking the Pearl Tower, Shanghai Center and World Financial Center, enjoying traditional Chinese cuisine and home-cooked meals, and staying up until 2 a.m. playing the board game Clue. They also coordinated a meet-up with Spartan alum Eric Xu ’25 for a night of karaoke. Liu’s friends said they were struck by the city’s blend of modern and historic architecture.

“Shanghai is amazing,” said Reed. “The many time periods in history portrayed in the city by the buildings blew me away. The food was fantastic, and the atmosphere in every market and restaurant was lively. The people were the kindest, always welcoming us and encouraging us to practice our Mandarin [Chinese]. I am so grateful for this amazing opportunity,” said Gonzalez, who speaks Spanish, English and Mandarin.

Kurt Oehler ’93, Wycliff Dorm house leader and mathematics instructor, said it is rewarding to see friendships form, particularly among boarding students who are intentionally paired as roommates when they first arrive at St. Stephen’s.

“It’s awesome when things like this happen,” said Oehler. “We’re pretty intentional about putting [roommates] together with different backgrounds who have similar interests.”

Students visiting one another during breaks is a common occurrence from one academic year to the next and doesn’t just happen during winter breaks. 

During the 2024-25 academic year, international boarding student Ali Al-Ajmi ’26 of Oman traveled to Jamaica with Jamaican boarding student Izzy Stiebel ’26 and stayed with Stiebel’s family during one of the long breaks. Later in the year, Al-Ajmi invited Stiebel to an Iftar community dinner on campus during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.

“This experience is great,” said Stiebel during the dinner. “It’s nice to get a little bit of Ali’s culture. [Our friendship has] been a nice exchange of culture." 

Central Texan Brandon Rodriguez ’26 also traveled to Shanghai during winter break 2024 with his roommate and close friend Yoobeen Park ’26, a boarding student from China. 

“St. Stephen's has opened many opportunities that I would never have expected,” said Rodriguez.

Rodriguez has also welcomed Park and their mutual good friend Tahj Brian-Potter ’26 from Jamaica to his family’s home in Central Texas over various Thanksgiving breaks and spring breaks during their four years on campus together.

“My family often takes them to eat authentic Mexican food prepared by my aunts and grandma, and we share stories about holiday traditions,” said Rodriguez.

Rodriguez and Park, who became roommates when they arrived at St. Stephen’s, will travel together to Italy over this coming spring break with the St. Stephen’s orchestra. Rodriguez said the trip will be a fitting way to close a special chapter before heading to college.

Enrollment Snapshot
St. Stephen’s entered the 2025-26 academic year with the most diverse student body in its 75-year history. Students from North Dakota, Wyoming, California, Haiti, Guatemala, the Cayman Islands, Spain, Mexico, South Korea call The Hill home. The school also has the highest number of Spartans from the Lone Star State — nearly 50 boarding students from more than two dozen Texas cities. 

Read more about St. Stephen's 2025-26 enrollment profile
Learn more about the boarding community and the admission process at St. Stephen’s.