Meet Our Students

Jean lives with his parents, two brothers, sister and dog. He was born in the Caribbean and lived there for the first seven years of his life. He is a practicing Catholic and goes to church every Sunday. In his free time, Jean likes to play tennis, running, swimming, and cycling. He has been involved in scouting for several years. His friends and family often say that he brings energy and joy to the people around him. 

Marieta is a warm, curious, and optimistic girl from the sunny mountains of Armenia, and is excited about starting a new adventure with a family like yours. She describes herself as someone who finds beauty in everyday moments and keeps a positive spirit even during hard times. She lives in a small, nature-filled city where people are kind and close-knit. Marieta enjoys spending time with her parents, little brother, grandmother, and dog, Fitty. She proudly takes part in daily chores and especially cherishes her bond with her grandma. Marieta loves painting, cooking, dancing, hiking, and building friendships. Looking ahead, she dreams of becoming a social worker and marketing specialist, using kindness and connection to help others. Marieta's heart is filled with excitement about joining your family, creating meaningful memories together, and sharing her sunny energy with you.

Isabelle is a thoughtful and responsible exchange student from Taiwan who values family, connection, and cultural exchange. Raised in a warm and close-knit family, she has developed a strong sense of responsibility through helping care for her younger sister, which has also nurtured her patience, attentiveness, and love for working with children. She is passionate about music and plays jazz drums, an experience that has taught her discipline, teamwork, and the importance of listening and collaboration. Isabelle brings a positive, organized, and reliable attitude to her daily life, balancing her responsibilities with care and dedication while contributing actively to her home environment. Respectful of family routines and personal space, she strives to create a harmonious and supportive atmosphere wherever she lives. Isabelle is especially excited about cultural exchange—she looks forward to sharing Taiwanese traditions, food, and celebrations while also learning about and embracing a new culture. Open-minded and curious, she hopes to build meaningful connections and create lasting memories with her host family.

This has been my dream for years! I want to follow in my father's footsteps, he spent a year in the USA as a teen and loved it so much! We have even gone back to visit his fomrer host family! I would love to share my culture, cook a French dish, and if you want, "teach" a little French. I have a younger brother who will soon be starting high school. He enjoys cooking and cooks a lot for us! He loves football too, and sports in general. Him and I have that in common! We do sports almost every day after school, at home or in sports clubs; I play volleyball and he plays soccer. My dad is an English translator, so he has been speaking to me in English since I was born. The best thing about my parents is that they LOVE board games so we have a lot of them at home. I know this experience will be life changing, and I can't wait to experience some American things like seeing a yellow school bus, maybe becoming a cheerleader, spending holidays with my host family, and making mew friends. I can't wait to learn more about you and I couldn't be happier to come to your beautiful country for a year!

Celia is a 14-year-old (turning 15 in Dec) exchange student from Spain currently in ninth grade at a multilingual school. She is a dedicated and high-achieving student with a strong interest in biology and hopes to study medicine in the future. Celia comes from a close and supportive family and has a deep love for animals. She is especially passionate about basketball and has played competitively for several years, participating in official tournaments and three-point competitions. She also enjoys trying new sports, reading, playing the violin, and theater. Having previously taken part in student exchange programs in Europe, Celia is excited to immerse herself in American culture, improve her English, and share her own traditions. She describes herself as calm, sociable, adaptable, and respectful, and looks forward to becoming an active member of her host family.

Meet Arstenbek from Kyrgyzstan. He is a serious student with a fun side! He is excited to learn about American culture and wants to try baseball and American football. He enjoys hobbies like chess, Monopoly, and table tennis. He is a recipient of the prestigious FLEX scholarship for students that have demonstrated exceptional leadership qualities. He spends weekdays at a boarding school where he is engaged in several interesting projects called GreenLand, Bilimbot, Olimpfund and Olimplearn. He describes the boarding school as an opportunity that he is extremely grateful to be a part of where he is learning cleanliness and respect for elders along with academic subjects. On weekends he is home with his family which includes his mother, father and ten-year-old brother. Helping out at home when he is there is very important to Arstanbek, he cleans, cooks and grocery shops for his family. He is also very passionate about his culture; he plays a traditional instrument called the Chopo-Chor. He also acknowledges what an amazing act of kindness hosting a student is and will truly appreciate this opportunity to its fullest.

I can't wait to spend a year with you and to discover your country, your culture, and your daily life. My friends would describe me as a cheerful and friendly person, I care about people's needs, and I'm extremely motivated in everything I do. My friends also see me as an ambitious and curious, always looking for new experiences. I love spending time with my family, and they are very important to me--I am really grateful to have them. I love sports, and I feel lucky to come from a family where a sport is a tradition and I would like to work in sports events one day. I also enjoy spending time with children and taking care of them. As a godmother, I often spend time with my goddaughter, playing with her, helping her activities, and sharing many good moments together. I am looking forward to meeting new people, making friends from different places, and learning to understand others better. I am also really excited to spend the hilidays with you and to experience school events such as homecoming and the end of year prom. I can't wait to talk with you, share moments together, and be part of your family and your way of life. PS: I eat everything except gluten, but I am well organized, so it's never a problem in my daily life.

Meet 18-year-old French student Ilona who has dreamed of being an exchange student since she was 13. Family is very important to her and she lives with her mother, step-father and brother. She loves simple moments with her family like playing board games, talking, laughing and watching movies along with an evening talking with friends. Her friends describe her as sunny, kind, generous, caring and always willing to help She is passionate about reading, especially romance novels, and loves to travel. Recently she had the opportunity to travel to Slovenia for a one-week school exchange. She chose the USA for her exchange year, because the country has always fascinated her, she wants to improve her English and to step out of her comfort zone in a new environment. Ilona is excited to go to prom, choose a fun class in high school, try new activities such as cheerleading or track & field, carve a Halloween pumpkin, see an American football game and celebrate Thanksgiving.

Katie is easygoing, warm, and known for her bright smile—especially in awkward moments. Katie loves animals (especially dogs and cats), warm weather, and spending time at the beach, where she’s happiest relaxing in the sun with ice cream in hand. While she’s adventurous and open-minded, she’ll admit she has one big fear: spiders! In her free time, Katie enjoys watching movies, shopping at the mall, exploring new places, and hanging out with friends. She is always eager to try new activities and looks forward to participating in family traditions, school events, and anything new her host family enjoys doing together. Family and friendships are very important to Katie. She values the strong support system she has at home, especially her parents, who have taught her independence, patience, and resilience. Through her exchange experience, Katie hopes to grow more independent, adapt to a new culture, and gain meaningful life experiences. She is deeply grateful to host families who open their homes and hearts and is excited to learn about American culture, daily life, and family traditions while becoming a part of her host family.