Meet Our Students

Cynthia is a thoughtful and gentle student from Taiwan who enjoys quiet moments, meaningful connections, and expressing herself through the arts. She loves listening to jazz music and has played the cello since childhood, appreciating its bold and expressive personality. In her free time, she enjoys cheerful movies, exploring new places, cooking—especially desserts—and sharing food with others. Curious and open‑minded, Cynthia hopes to come to America to experience everyday life with a host family, challenge herself with new activities like cheerleading, and participate fully in cultural exchange. She is excited to share Taiwanese traditions such as making dumplings and writing Spring Festival couplets, while also learning and embracing American customs. Above all, Cynthia wants to build warm relationships, discover a new way of life, and bring those experiences back to share with her friends at home.

I live in northern Italy with my parents and my older brother. I attend a scientific high school because I enjoy subjects like mathematics. I like spending time with my family, doing activities such as playing board games, watching movies, biking, and skiing. I practice athletics and I am a middle-distance runner. I also enjoy swimming, cycling, walking, and ice skating. In my free time, I like being with friends, watching TV series (especially Suits), reading novels and magazines, and playing video games. I love cooking and eating, especially parmigiana, mushroom risotto, and chocolate desserts. I chose to spend a school year in the United States to improve my English and to experience a different culture and school system. I am excited to try new subjects and meet new people. I am interested in airplanes and would like to become an airline pilot in the future. I am very grateful to my host family for welcoming me into their home, and I hope we will spend a wonderful year together.

Augustin is a cheerful and sociable student from France who loves discovering new cultures and connecting with people. Deeply shaped by his lively family and his years in scouting, he values kindness, teamwork, and helping others. A passionate athlete, he has spent many years playing soccer, tennis, and rugby, and hopes to continue playing soccer during his exchange year. He also enjoys simple moments — from playing board games with his siblings to sharing laughs with friends at boarding school. Curious, reliable, and full of positive energy, Augustin is excited to join a host family, learn from their way of life, share a bit of French culture, and create meaningful memories together.

Raphael is a friendly and motivated high school student from southwest France, who is excited to experience life in the United States. He comes from a close-knit family and enjoys spending time with relatives, friends, and his dog. Active and adventurous, Raphael is passionate about sports, especially competitive karting, snowboarding, and water sports—which have taught him discipline, perseverance, and teamwork. At school, he studies a wide range of subjects and is especially motivated to improve his English through full immersion. Organized, responsible, and independent, he helps at home and values being an active part of family life. Raphael describes himself as open-minded, respectful, and adaptable, with a positive attitude toward new challenges. He looks forward to sharing French culture, participating in American traditions, and building meaningful connections with his host family while growing personally and academically during his exchange year.

I love spending time with my family, and we love discovering new places together! We also spend a lot of time with my grandparents, whether its going shopping or having lunch together. I have total trust in my grand-mother, and she is real confidant with good advice. I love sports, such as weight lifting, surfing, running, skiing, and hiking! I like nature and being surrounded by green trees and the ocean. I love animals, I have a cat named Cookie who is really sweet. I probably get the desire to study abroad from my mom. She was an Aupair in the US when she was my age. She often speaks about her experience and becoming her host family's 'French daughter'. I am very excited to learn the American culture, and to an experience holidays like Halloween! I would also love to share my French traditions with my host family, to learn and transmit our culture and knowledge, like cooking. Above all, this is a human experience. The experience of a lifetime--I want to create a link for life with my host family, and maybe that one day they will meet my future children. I am looking forward to meeting you!

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.

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.

Margaux lives with her mother and younger sister but also enjoys her visits with her father. She has been studying dance since she was 5 and this brings her joy. Margaux describes herself as open-minded, interested in what is happening in the world, very empathetic and a good listener. Family celebrations are precious to her and she enjoys doing simple activities with her family, like going for walks, baking, watching movies and playing games. Her passion for discovery is what pushed her to be an exchange student. She expects to grow, mature, learn about herself and life along with improving her English. Living in the US will enable her to learn about the country’s culture, experience holidays, attend American football games and create memories with her host family.

I'm truly happy and excited to write this letter to my future host family! The idea of spending a year abroad, discovering a new culture, becoming part of a new family, and growing through this unique experience is something that fills me with joy, curiosity, and gratitude. I spend a lot of time with my family and extended family, especially during holidays and family events. These moments – full of laughter, storytelling, and home-cooked meals – are incredibly important to me. I have been playing volleyball for several years, and I absolutely love it! It has taught me resilience, dedication, and teamwork. I also love art, specifically architecture! If I had to describe myself, I’d say I’m a positive, respectful, curious, and determined person. I love learning, listening, discovering new things, and contributing to the world around me. I’m genuinely excited to begin this new adventure, to become part of your family, to experience your culture and your way of life. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for choosing to open your home and your life to me.