Meet Our Students

Amanda is a special girl from Latvia, and she loves to read. She writes that she and her friends will read the same books and that they love to talk about what they have read. She said she also enjoys playing games, watching movies, and taking road trips with her family. She loves animals, volleyball, baking, and astronomy. She said she loves looking at the stars at night. She said she likes Math and Chemistry. She describes herself as a bit of a picky eater and said that some textures and tastes don’t agree with her.

Meet Claudio who lives with her sister and parents on the coast of northern Spain. Claudio, who friends and family call Clau, is an avid field hockey player. When not busy playing, Clau enjoys going to the beach and to the cinema with her friends. When she gets older, Clau would like to be a civil engineer who helps discover new things to help society. Studying abroad has always interested Clau, and she is so excited to learn a new culture and meet new people. She looks forward to meeting her host family and experiencing all America has to offer!

Meet Eillen, an only child from Taiwan. Eillen has been involved in many artistic pursuits such as performing at the National Concert Hall, winning the National Art Competition, and performing French horn at the Vienna Music Festival. She thinks music clubs are important but wants to try many new things during her exchange year. She wants to join a school club or sports team in the U.S. and explore some of her interests. She is excited to have the opportunity to join your family, to interact and connect with everyone, and to build deep connections together. Whether it's the daily routines of going to and from school, sharing household chores or participating in various family activities.

Meet outgoing and sociable Pepe from Spain. Pepe enjoys being in an environment where he can connect with others and build meaningful relationships. Sports hold a special place in Pepe’s life, especially soccer. It doesn’t matter if he is playing or just a spectator, he loves soccer so much! Outside of sports Pepe spends a lot of time volunteering at his parish. He believes helping others and giving back to the community plays an important part in his values. With his family Pepe enjoys playing board games, like Monopoly or even just a simple game of cards. He is confident that together you will share many memorable experiences and form lasting bonds as a family.

It is a pleasure to introduce 16-year-old Luise from Berlin Germany. Family and friends describe her as interested, curious, friendly, ambitious, and helpful. This impressive young lady is a CBYX scholarship student looking forward to sharing her German culture and heritage with her host family and community here in the United States. She loves her two younger siblings very much and enjoys playing music together with her family. Her mom is an elementary school and music teacher and her dad also plays the violin. Her parents live separately now, but maintain a close relationship living only just down the street from each other. Luise's hobbies include playing the piano and violin, music, reading, drawing, sports, and cooking. She has been playing the violin since she was 6 years old. She often helps her younger sister who is learning the instrument. She plays pop, jazz, and soul in her school's piano band, and signs in the school choir. Coming to the States on exchange has been a dream of hers since she was a little girl. "The people there have roots in cultures from all over the world. I think therefore people are open minded to different cultures and in my eyes the US has therefore become the country of freedom and creativity."

Meet Mariyam a 15-year-old from Kazakhstan. She loves to walk and explore. She lives with her parents and brother and sister, who are very important to her. Trust and politeness are important to Mariyam, and she values these qualities in others. Her friends would describe Mariyam as kind, funny, responsible, hardworking and mature. In other words, independent. She sees herself as a well-rounded person. She loves trying new things and is really interested in trying photography and drumming. Mariyam enjoys sharing post on social media that include her poems and stories as she says it makes her feel free and as though her words and thoughts are important in such a big world. She is currently writing a fantasy book. She hopes to write books and make films based on them in the future. For the last 5 months Mariyam has been teaching children with disabilities. For Mariyam this is an incredibly valuable experience. She loves sharing her knowledge and getting to know the experiences of others. Mariyam looks forward to sharing Kazakh traditions, culture, literature, and cuisine with her American family.

Blanche began her life swimming at a young age. She then began modern/contemporary dance for 11 years which complimented her love for music. As time continued on, she found her self-proclaimed passion in life thus far: horses. Blanche loves all animals, but her most favorite are cats, dogs and horses. Blanche loves spending time with horses in competitions or helping others learn about horses. She is known for her smile and joy of life. She enjoys traveling, walking, baking cookies, playing board games and sharing meals with her mother and little brother. Blanche spent time in Canada for 3 weeks living with a Canadian family with Japanese and Italian students. She loved every minute of the experience. Blanche also has experience playing guitar, babysitting and pet sitting. Get to know Blanche a little more by reading her host family letter!

Meet Almudena! She is a happy, sociable and responsible person. Her favorite hobby is playing tennis. Almu has been playing tennis since she was 5 years old and practices year round! Additionally, she also likes other sports such as paddle surfing and volleyball. Almu enjoys summertime the best and will go to the beach everyday to go swimming, paddle surfing, or just sunbathing with friends while listening to music and hanging out. At school, she strives to get good grades and her favorite subjects are English, French and economy. Almu is excited to learn about a new culture and practice her English. She is very grateful to be part of her future host family!

Meet Capucine from France! She’s a lover of nature and animals. At home she has two dogs that she enjoys taking for walks and a horse. For the past ten years Capucine has been riding horses and feels that she is a horse enthusiast! Capucine enjoys staying active and helping people, she’s not afraid to get her hands dirty and spends time in the garden with her dad whenever she can. Thanks to the influence of her grandfather, she feels he has helped mold her strong character and values. Going abroad for a year will be a dream come true for Capucine. She feels it will bring maturity to her life and a new outlook for her future. Be the family to make a dream come true when you apply to host Capucine!

Can you imagine welcoming this young man from the Czech Republic into your family? He loves warm weather and would love to be with a family who also loves barbecues! He lives in a small town with his parents, younger brother, and two cats. He loves sports and has taught younger kids to play soccer. He also loves to study languages, political history, and geography. Milan enjoys eating Chinese, Indian, and Thai food, too! He sounds like a curious and well-rounded boy who would be a welcome addition to an American family!