Meet Our Students

I am open‑minded, respectful, curious, and calm. I laugh easily and enjoy being around people with a good sense of humor. As a dedicated student at a large high school, I make friends easily, though I prefer small groups and close connections. In my free time, I enjoy running, swimming, and exploring art through reading, drawing, and painting. I also love video games, music, and Studio Ghibli films. Passionate about fairness, I dream of becoming a lawyer one day. I’m excited to experience American traditions like Thanksgiving, Halloween, and hockey games, and I look forward to building lasting connections with my host family and community.

Chiara is an energetic, creative, and curious girl who comes from a close-knit family in the Italian countryside. She plays piano and guitar, loves sports like aerial dance and hiking, and is passionate about music, fashion, and writing. At school, Chiara is known for being kind, mature, and helpful, and she’s active in her church youth group and summer camps. Chiara enjoys baking, thrillers, concerts, and crafting with friends. Whether skiing, swimming, or exploring new places, she embraces adventure and connection. Chiara is excited to join a host family and take the first step toward her dream of discovering the world.

Ethan is a kind-hearted and thoughtful boy from Thailand. Known by his friends as the “gentle giant,” he’s admired for his caring nature and quiet strength. He comes from a close-knit, supportive family and cherishes time spent with them, especially enjoying spicy Thai dishes made by his grandma. Ethan is passionate about basketball and plays as a main team member at school, where he also shines in academics, particularly in English and Business Studies. He’s musically talented, playing guitar in his school band, and enjoys anime, gaming, and exploring different cultures. Ethan is excited to join a host family, share his Thai heritage, and build meaningful connections through this exchange experience.

Faustine is a girl that loves adventure and trying new things. Her family has a camper that they travel in on vacations to see new places. She has a good perspective of being flexible when on these adventures! Faustine enjoys going to camps so she can try new sports and other activities. Always learning and trying something different, she doesn't miss an opportunity to tackle a new task. When she has free time, Faustine loves reading, especially romance novels, and listening to music like rap, pop or K-pop. Whatever the day brings, she finds a way to fill it with adventure! Faustine is so excited to join your family this school year!

Ines lives with her parents and older brother, who she enjoys playing board games with. She enjoys going to the gym and for walks, and hopes to try sports in America. Ines is looking forward to seeing her first high school football game. In her free time, she likes reading, learning English, and listening to music. She loves animals and has a dog of her own. Ines loves meeting new people and learning about different cultures. "I can’t wait to share this experience with you, I always wanted to do this because I feel like it's a lifetime experience and I don't want to have regret later by not doing my biggest dream."

Meet Pietro from Italy! He is a soccer player; he plays right wing because he is pretty fast. He enjoys running; he did his first half marathon a few months ago. Pietro has taken up boxing and has enjoyed practicing at that. His dream is to become an important person in the world. His friends and family would describe him as active, curious and very sociable and loves meeting new people. Pietro also has many other hobbies like playing chess, reading books (especially in English so he can improve his skills) and programming. Sometimes he likes to cook and learn new recipes, so he cannot wait to share his favorite Pizza Time with his new Host Family! Pietro looks forward to meeting you and making lifelong memories.

My name is Giulia, and I hope to be your future Italian exchange student! I live in northeast Italy with my parents and older brother. I love discovering new cultures and recently spent two weeks in the UK with a host family, which made me even more excited to spend a full year abroad. I chose the U.S. because I admire the culture, traditions like Halloween and Thanksgiving, and the school system with its many activities. In my free time, I enjoy volleyball, skiing in the Dolomites, and summer water sports like windsurfing. My biggest passion is music—I’ve played piano since I was seven and especially love Chopin, even though I usually listen to Italian rap. I also enjoy movies, shopping with friends, and sharing traditions with my family, like cheering for Ferrari races or watching basketball with my dad. I’d love to share a piece of my culture with you, especially by cooking Italian dishes like carbonara. I would describe myself as curious, enthusiastic, and ready for new experiences, and I can’t wait to create memories together!

Ines lives with her parents, three older siblings, and a Golden Retriever. As a family, they spend more than half their time in the garden eating together. Ines has always dreamed of living somewhere where it snows at Christmas. She loves playing in the pool, and meeting new people, since everyone teaches you something new. Ines attends a Catholic school and attends church every Sunday with her family. She enjoys spending time with young children, and being the youngest in her family, she has always wished she had a younger sibling. Ines loves music, animals, and cooking. She would like to study medicine in the future. Ines has participated in horseback riding, tennis, scuba diving, fishing, skiing, snowboarding and gymnastics, but her favorite sport is soccer. She has been playing since she was seven. Ines can't wait to experience the yellow school buses, the American football teams, the cheerleaders, and many other things that are normal only in the US.

Anton is a travel-loving boy from Denmark. When he heard about his brother's exchange year in Minnesota, he realized that he would love to have a similar experience, getting to live with an American family and joining in with their family life. He's looking forward to connecting with friends at school and getting involved in activities. He can't wait to join a community with great school spirit! His favorite sport is soccer and he also enjoys skiing, listening to music and hanging out with friends and family. Anton says "I hope that by the time I leave, we'll have made memories that we'll always remember and memories that will make me feel like I have a home on the other side of the world."