Meet Our Students

Boris is an honest, ambitious, and thoughtful student who is excited to become part of a host family and experience a new culture while growing as a person. He values meaningful relationships, adapts easily to new people and situations, and describes himself as patient, positive, and responsible. Family and close friendships are very important to him, and he comes from a supportive home where trust and open communication matter. He enjoys mountain activities such as skiing, hiking, climbing, and exploring nature, and he finds peace and freedom in the outdoors. One of his favorite travel memories is from Istanbul, where a simple day of exploring left a lasting impression on him. Boris is eager to share in family life, respect house rules, and fully take part in the everyday routines and experiences of his host family.

Alexandre is a lively, motivated, and curious teenager from a major city in the south of France. He lives with his parents and younger sister in a bicultural French-Swedish family, which has helped shape his interest in languages, travel, and new cultures. He is a strong student who takes school seriously, with a special love for English and History, especially topics involving wars, major events, and the way the past influences the present. One of his biggest goals is to strengthen his English so he can use it confidently in school, travel, and everyday life. Sports and hobbies play a huge role in Alexandre’s life. He has played tennis since early childhood, holds a blue belt in judo, and recently joined a soccer team, which has quickly become one of his passions. He also enjoys skiing, snowboarding, swimming, and following motorsports, especially Formula 1. Beyond athletics, he loves American pop music, LEGO, Harry Potter, and spending time with friends. Open-minded, humorous, and easygoing, Alexandre would be excited to share his culture, experience life with a host family, and build lasting memories through this opportunity.

Martina is from Italy and brings a thoughtful, creative, and caring personality to everything she does. She has a wide range of interests that reflect both her artistic side and her love for staying active. Martina enjoys playing the piano, drawing, swimming, and going for long walks outdoors—especially when she can be surrounded by nature. One of Martina’s greatest passions is animals. She would be especially excited to join a host family with a dog, as she would love taking it on long walks and spending time outdoors together. At home, Martina is already used to caring for animals—she has five cats, and at her dad’s house, she also helps care for a rabbit and three chickens. In her free time, Martina enjoys playing pool and reading, especially romance novels like The Truth Untold by Rokia. She is also deeply interested in biotechnology and dreams of one day working as a technician in a laboratory. Martina can clearly picture herself in a lab coat, analyzing substances and exploring the scientific world. As a second career path, she is also passionate about fitness and would consider becoming a personal trainer, as she enjoys spending time at the gym and staying healthy. Martina is excited about the opportunity to experience life in the United States. She looks forward to becoming part of a host family, sharing her Italian culture, improving her English, and creating meaningful memories during this unique cultural exchange.

Josie is a bright and determined student from Taiwan who comes from a close-knit family and cherishes time spent traveling and celebrating traditions like Chinese New Year. She is passionate about soccer, having played since kindergarten and competing in tournaments both in Taiwan and abroad. She also enjoys playing the drums and trying new experiences. Curious, kind, and resilient, Josie is excited to experience American culture, improve her English, and become part of a host family’s daily life. She looks forward to joining school activities, especially soccer, and sharing her Taiwanese culture through food and traditions. Josie says, “I’m ready to try new things, challenge myself, and embrace this once-in-a-lifetime experience.”

Martina (Marti) is a sunny, animal-loving student from Italy who’s passionate about understanding people and their behavior. She studies human sciences, rides horses competitively, and enjoys skiing, gymnastics, and cooking homemade pizza with her Dad. When she was 10, she spoke with a girl who had just returned from an exchange year in the U.S.—and from that moment, it became her dream to do the same. Now, she’s excited to finally make it happen! Marti looks forward to learning about American culture, making new friends, and growing through this experience. She hopes to be part of a warm, welcoming family and can’t wait to share laughter, traditions, and everyday life together. If you're looking for a joyful, curious, and caring student to share your home and heart with—Marti is ready to become part of your family.

Cooper is a thoughtful, respectful, and open-minded student from Thailand who is excited about the opportunity to live with a host family in the United States. Growing up in a Thai-international school environment has helped him become adaptable, communicative, and comfortable with people from many different backgrounds, and his previous experience living abroad with a host family in Brisbane, Australia, gave him even more confidence, independence, and ease in adjusting to new environments. His main goal as an exchange student is to improve his English, experience American school and family life, and continue growing through cultural exchange. Sports are a major part of his life, especially basketball, which is one of his greatest passions. He is a member of his school basketball team, was selected as a GBAC All Star, and has also trained in New York, where he was inspired by American basketball culture and coaching. In addition to basketball, he has experience in ice hockey, skiing, badminton, and golf, showing that he enjoys staying active and trying new things. Outside of sports, he enjoys music, is learning to play the guitar, likes watching movies, and occasionally plays video games. Easygoing and not a picky eater, Cooper would bring a positive attitude, a strong sense of responsibility, and genuine excitement to a host family while creating meaningful memories through the exchange experience.

Meet Adelaide from France where she lives with her father, mother, and younger brother, and their family bond is very strong, playing a “huge part” in her life. She describes herself as joyful, funny, and smart, though she can be a bit reserved when tired, responsible and somewhat competitive, Adelaide has a wide range of interests including: Tennis, Running, Dancing, Music, Singing, Pilates and going to the gym. Currently, she attends a boarding school with approximately 700 students. During her stay in the United States, she hopes to join a choir and the dance team. In her free time, she enjoys reading detective novels and watching detective and medical series. She has explored India and aspires to find a future career that allows her to uncover new places and have unique experiences. “So, to start these dreams, I want to start with the United States, because it’s iconic and full of diversity”.

Meet Candela “Cande” from Spain! She describes herself as a as a caring, responsible, organized, funny and well-educated teenager. She comes from a close knit immediate and extended family. Her hobbies include padel (a sport similar to pickle ball) volleyball, skiing, dancing, reading, playing boardgames and watching movies. Cande recently started attending an international school where she is surrounded by classmates from all different cultures. She stated that she “fell in love with” the US when she visited with her family in order to pick her sister up from camp. She looks forward to learning about our culture, our educational system and participating in new activities through her school and host family. Cande writes, “I think I can bring a positive and caring attitude to your family….I would be very grateful to share my culture and traditions as well as learn from yours.”

Meet Naila from France!! Naila wants the life adventure of learning American culture and being independent in a new place to discover new people and traditions. Naila is a lover of family time, cooking with family, playing board games and spending quality time is important to her. She loves watching football with her brother and although she isn’t a passionate hiker like her mom, she will go and do it just to spend time with her mom. This shows that Naila is open to trying things for that good old-fashioned family time. Naila is an animal lover as she has 3 cats, she is not a fan of spiders and insects, but she respects them. Naila loves break dancing and ice skating. She has a desire to dance and learn more about dancing. Friends are important to her, and she is excited to make new friends in a new place. French music is a daily listen for Naila, and she is wanting to learn more about American music genres too. Besides her love for winter sports, she is very into fashion. Naila has a strong goal to be a surgeon in her adult life or a radiologist. Combined with her love of biology she wants to help people in need. Let’s open our home to Naila!!!

Sergiu is a positive, ambitious 15‑year‑old from Moldova who brings energy, discipline, and a deep love for family life. For over 12 years he has practiced Moldovan national dance, proudly representing his country at events across Europe. He stays active through gym workouts, volleyball, table tennis, and hiking with friends. At home, Sergiu is responsible and dependable—he mows the lawn, waters the garden, feeds the family dogs, keeps his room tidy, and helps with dishes as part of his family’s teamwork‑focused routine. He volunteers regularly at American Corner Ungheni and enjoys contributing to his community. With a strong interest in leadership and entrepreneurship, Sergiu hopes to learn from his host family’s traditions, enjoy meaningful conversations, and become part of their daily life. He dreams of building lifelong friendships and growing into a confident, independent young leader. Host him, and you’ll gain a motivated, joyful teen who will make your home feel fuller in the best way.