From her home in Bazainville, France, Cécile Crocquet has evolved into the All-American girl.

Since living with Trinity Episcopal School students Katie and Ginny Borum and their family since last summer, Crocquet has discovered endless delicacies of the United States. And though she admits doughnuts are her new favorite food, there is one thing she enjoys more — sports.

“We don’t have sports in school in France,” Crocquet said. “You have to do sports on your own time on the weekends or after school. We don’t even have football season or basketball season. You just play the same sport all year, but only if you have time.”

After connecting with the Borums through a few friends, Crocquet spent one month in Natchez during June and July of 2017. When it was time for her to go back to France, no one wanted her to leave.

“I didn’t want to go back,” Crocquet said. “I missed my family, but I was so happy here.”

“One night, we were telling her about school and we just suggested she come,” Katie Borum added. “We were just joking at first.”

Quickly, the jokes turned into reality and the Borums had a visitor once again. They wasted no time getting her involved in her junior year.

“A couple weeks into school she was back,” Katie Borum said. “We brought her to cheer the next week.”

For Crocquet, the experience has been a dream come true.

“I wanted to do cheer so bad,” she said. “It’s like every girl’s dream in France. They are always so pretty and so popular, why wouldn’t you want to be that?

“All my friends (in France) told me they were so jealous, even though I didn’t know any of the cheers.”

Despite the learning curve, Crocquet said she feels like she is floating on top of the world.

“I’m still dreaming,” she said.

To make sure that feeling never fleeted, Croquet joined the Lady Saints basketball team shortly after the end of football season.

“I just love sports,” she said. “I love to be moving, and if I’m not I just feel bad. I need to be doing something.”

The only problem, however, was Crocquet had never played basketball. Yet, that wasn’t going to stop her.

“At first I was so confused. I didn’t know any rules,” she said. “One time I pushed a girl and the ref called a foul on No. 13. I didn’t know it was me. I looked down at my jersey and saw No. 13. I just kept apologizing.”

Ginny Borum said sometimes Crocquet still gets confused.

“Every time she would pass the ball in to me, she would ask which way the right direction was,” she said. “One time she almost scored in the wrong basket. We just kept yelling ‘No, Cécile!’”

Through the ups and downs, Trinity basketball coach Mo Rodriguez said Crocquet never lost her dreamy spark.

“She was always there with a smile, and she just kept getting better and better,” he said. “I remember when she scored her first two points, and then she ended up being a starter. She got to do a lot of things she had never experienced before, so I know that was special for her.

“I think we have learned from her, actually. She will always have a good attitude. I wish that I could have 10 Céciles on every team that I coach.”

The Lady Saints finished their basketball season second in MAIS District 4-A. Next on Crocquet’s list is tennis and track.

“I’m really excited for tennis,” she said. “I play with my mom and brothers back home for fun.

“I like running, too. I want to do the 100 meter and the hurdles.”

With the athletics, Crocquet said, came a whole new family, too.

“The first day I walked into (Trinity) I knew I would be fine,” she said. “I was nervous, and I didn’t want people to be mean. But, it was so different and everybody was so nice.”

Crocquet is scheduled to travel back to France in June, when she will finish out her schooling. But, she said she will never forget her family with the Borums, either.

“I will be so sad to leave my family,” she said. “But, I wouldn’t change anything. I’ll be back to visit.”