Meet Our Students

Lucille says she’s positive, full of joy, likes being active, and spending time with family and friends. That’s why she goes to the gym 3 times a week and loves to listen to music –- to relax and let go of a stressful day. “My family is very important to me and we love spending time together, skiing is one of our most favorite activities.” Lucille’s friends are the second most important to her. “We love to sit on terraces around a coffee, discuss a lot of subjects, walk around town and shop, and sometimes do sports together.” She describes herself more as a scientist than a literary person because her favorite subjects are math, sciences, and physics. Lucille would like to become a surgeon, dermatologist, or another medical professional.

Meet Lucie! Lucie is from a small town in the Northeast of France nestled between both beach and mountains both of which she enjoys. She lives at home with her parents, little sister, and dog. Lucie is a music fanatic. She can play the piano, guitar, flute, and ukulele. She also enjoys singing and has experience in the choir. She is hoping to have some of these experiences in the U.S.A. Lucie is learning how to cook and would love to bake for your family and even cook a Spanish meal. Her mom and sister are both very good and are teaching her. Lucie is ready to experience the American life and learn from our culture and traditions. She knows that an experience like this both herself and her host family will learn about their cultures.

Alessandro lives with his mother, younger brother and two cats (his father passed away 2 years ago). He considers his brother his best friend, they play chess or ping pong and it is rare when his little brother does not beat him! Alessandro loves many sports but tennis is his favorite sport. He has practiced tennis since he was six years old. He will begin tournaments soon. Besides tennis, Alessandro is passionate about working out. He trains every day at home and can even do one arm push-ups like Rocky! Alessandro likes to keep busy, just like his mom. He enjoys gardening with his mom, shopping and going to museums. Scouts is another important part of his life. "The beauty of scouting is that there is no stress; you can play without effort, sometimes doing incredible things." In his down time, Alessandro is self-teaching himself programming. He has created websites and applications for the phone but would like to learn more. Finally, a dream that Alessandro has is to participate in Man vs Food in the US! He cannot wait to learn why the USA is so famous all around the world.

Hi! I am Laura. I am 16 and currently live in Southern Spain but am originally from Colombia. I have lived in Spain since I was two. I can be described as the joy of the house as I am usually cheerful. I love my family and them along with my two dogs are very important to me. I enjoy many activities. Some of these are: dancing and girl scouts. Dancing allows me to express my feelings and connect with others. The styles I enjoy are: hip hop and dancehall. Every Saturday in scouts we work on an activity that helps strengthen our cooperation skills and strategy. I also enjoy the arts. I have always painted and drawn for as long as I can remember. I am interested in character design and someday have the goal to work with Disney. I cannot wait for my year abroad, getting to know the American culture. I am looking forward to prom, trying out for cheerleading, choosing my subjects, spirit week, and football! I am also excited to celebrate Thanksgiving and Halloween. "I am super excited for this new experience to begin".

Meet Aruzhan! She is a 15 year old FLEX scholarship recipient from Kazakhstan. She lives at home with her mom and sisters. She enjoys spending time with her family and on Saturdays watches movies with them. Aruzhan's family has many traditions such as cooking night and making videos together. She also enjoys volunteering and helping others. She is in to humanitarian themes and knows that her future career will be to the benefit of others. Languages are one of her favorite things to learn. She is hoping to learn Japanese and Italian next. Aruzhan loves to read and is into classics, such as Pride and Prejudice. Read more in Aru's letter to learn 10 facts about her. Aruzhan looks forward to meeting you!

My family and I spend a lot of time together, just going for walks or watching a movie together. I think it would be a great opportunity to live with another family for a year and get to know their traditions and perspectives. I like different types of music, but I really like artists Drake, Adele and Chase Atlantic. I have never been to a music concert but hopefully this dream of mine will come true someday. I am part of as basketball team as well and I love the team spirit! I have been playing basketball for three years and have met some wonderful friends. Although Basketball and music are two of my passions, I also really enjoy traveling. I am an open-minded person and have a good sense of humor. Although I love animals, I am not able to have a cat or dog due to my allergies. Finally, I want to thank you for thinking about having me as an exchange student in your home!

Virgi is from the north-east of Italy where she lives with her parents and younger sister. She goes to a high school for Content and Language Integrated Learning, and cant wait to improve her English through this wonderful experience. Virgi is an athletic girl, she plays volleyball, swims and was involved in ballet and modern dance. She is interested in trying new sports in the US and maybe even try cheerleading. She is also creative and artsy, winning awards in art competitions with a piece on feminism and another piece on the effects of covid. This year she joined the European Youth Parliament project. Virgi describes herself as sociable, extroverted and curious. Other hobbies are reading a variety of genre, listening to music and watching movies and shows. Virgi is thankful for this chance you will give her and hopes to hear from you soon.

When I asked my friends and family to describe me, they described me using a lot of adjectives: thoughtful, sociable, easy-going, clever, generous and many others. I think that I am a simple guy, but I have to find more about myself and things around me. I really like mountains as to me they are synonymous with nature, freedom, pure air, good food and long walks (and I really love these things ) I like playing sports too and wish I had more time to practice them. My dad is an architect and I help him on computer projects to renovate some houses in our town. I also did a lot of manual work: taking the garbage away from the construction sites, spreading soil, mowing the lawn.In the end I can say I love simple things: showing my dad I am taller than him, kissing my mum on the forehead before going to bed, having fun with my grandma, playing video games with my brother and football with my friends.

I am an extrovert and very outgoing. My favorite subjects are Math, Italian Literature and Philosophy. I fell in love with Dante and Petrarch. I have been part of a drama class since middle school, I love acting and being on stage and I enjoy trying new things and discovering new activities. In the past, I have been part of the choir but moved away from that to focus on other hobbies and studying. I enjoy comedy shows, tv series, horrors and reality tv shows and I enjoy watching them in English. I have been studying the English language since I was 6 years old. In the past, I have volunteered selling homemade cakes as well as babysitting. I attend the gym regularly as I enjoy keeping healthy and fit. I dream of trying out for cheerleading and enjoy trying any sport. I am almost 17, an only child but I’ve always wanted a little sibling. I live with my parents in a small city that is famous for its circuit where cars and motorbikes race attract many tourists. I have two pets, a cat and a dog that I love so much. I can cook typical Italian dishes and would love to cook them for you! I also enjoy taking photos, fashion, make up and making videos of the world around me. I look forward to celebrating the Thanksgiving holiday and picking out a Prom dress! At home, I help my family by setting the table, loading and unloading the dishwasher. I also keep my room tidy, feed the pets and do the wash. I look forward to sharing in your traditions and learning more about your culture!

Hi! My name is Seongjun! I go to an international school in Korea and my English name is Jason. There are four people in my family, but my brother is currently attending NYU in the United States. I have a slightly shy personality, however, enjoy playing outdoor sports such as volleyball and basketball with my friends. When I have time, I enjoy jogging in the park. I play the clarinet as a school club activity. I also like to draw art. Although I am still attending an international school, I want to experience public education in the United States in person in a better educational environment. I also want to introduce the Korean culture to my host family!