CHS Junior Budurean Heads Home To Romania
Seventeen year old junior Florian Budurean has been living in Culbertson with Cassandra and Eric Bergum and their family and attending Culbertson High School this year as part of a year long foreign exchange program. Budurean said he qualified for the program after winning a scholarship contest in his home region of Banat in Romania. “The Bergums chose me,” he told the Community News, adding, “they are the best people and I am very grateful.”
Budurean said he had no real idea what to expect from Montana. “The people make the place very likable,” he said. Overall he said his experience this year has been “a lot of fun” and has helped him appreciate the value of volunteering and “giving back.”
Budurean is an avid cyclist and participated in football and track in Culbertson. He tried multiple positions in the former sport and said he prefers American football to soccer, which is among most popular sports in his home country. He specialized in mechanics with FFA and
CHS junior and Romanian exchange student Florian Budurean will return to his home country at the end of May.
(Photo by James Walling)
advanced to the semi-finals stage at state competition for humorous solo in Speech and Drama.
Budurean said his favorite teachers at CHS have been Darla Mogga and Jeri Gustasfson, “They have been a very good influence,” Budurean said.
The Bergums took Budurean along on a trip to the Black Hills in South Dakota, including Mount Rushmore, and he enjoyed getting a closer look at American hockey players while visiting the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks, ND. He also visited the nation’s capital, including an audience with Senator Jon Tester and a visit to the Romanian Embassy. “I got to find out what the life of a diplomat looks like,” Budurean said.
Budurean said he is considering a career in civil engineering. “I’m really attracted to infrastructure and construction,” he said.
When he gets home, Budurean said he has another year of Romanian high school to complete and said he plans to get his drivers license and do some traveling around Europe. Budurean is scheduled to leave the country May 21. He will be missed.
