Meet Our Students

Meet Romy, she is a student from rural France with a warm, adventurous spirit and a deep love for nature, animals, and family life. Active and curious, she enjoys soccer and fitness, reading, cooking, board games, spending time with friends, and being outdoors, and she is thrilled to experience American traditions and everyday family moments. Highly motivated, Romy dreams of becoming a lawyer one day, possibly in the United States, and sees this exchange year as an important step toward strengthening her English, broadening her worldview, and building meaningful connections while sharing her French culture.

Marcos is a cheerful happy person that loves to make others laugh. He is from a small town in Spain and is the youngest with three siblings. All of Marco’s siblings were also exchange students to the United States. He is a mature and well-mannered young man that loves to be outside and has a black belt in martial arts. Marcos loves to cook and play the piano. He is now learning to play the trombone. Marcos likes helping others and sports such as golf and flag football. He balances his love of activity with his love of music and relaxes to recharge his batteries. He is excited about improving his English in America and living with a family that is engaged and has a close relationship. Marcos loves time with others and is looking for a loving family in the United States.

Meet Elouann "Elou" from France. He has a very close family that includes his parents and two siblings. He describes himself as an energetic person with a great sense of humor. He is very athletic, and passionate about sports, especially basketball, which he plays daily. He hopes to experience the “sporting culture” (NBA, NFL) while living in the U. S. He also coaches a boys’ team and regularly referees games, gaining confidence and leadership experience. He enjoys spending time with family and friends, skiing, cycling, cooking and playing board games. He loves to prepare meals for his family on the weekends. Elou loves animals and enjoys caring for his dog, Marvel. He previously lived with a host family in Seville during a school exchange, where he adapted easily and loved discovering new traditions. Elou is motivated, respectful, and open minded. He is excited to meet his new host family to experience a new culture and traditions and to share his culture with you!

Mizuki (Mizu) is a warm and motivated student from the countryside of Japan. She dreams of building connections between Japan and other countries and is excited to experience American culture while sharing her own. Mizuki is active in her school’s volunteer club, where she helps clean streets and cook meals for children in need. She loves singing with friends and enjoys both playing and watching sports, especially badminton, track and field, and baseball. Growing up surrounded by Hokkaido’s beautiful nature, cherry blossoms, and famous foods like ramen, Mizu brings kindness, curiosity, and a strong desire to become a meaningful part of her future host family.

Meet Marly from Germany! She is always ready and prepared for her next adventure in life. Marly loves to find humor in situations and honesty is important to her. She is athletic and currently rides horses. She has been riding since she was very young. She used to own a horse and knows how to take care of them. When she is not riding horses, she plays tennis or at the gym working out. Marly just like her mom, loves kids. She babysits in her free time, hangs out with friends, and she loves going to her local soccer games. Marly has a family of 3 besides herself. Her mom, dad and older sister love to travel to other countries and learn new cultures. Both her mother and sister were exchange students in the USA. She has heard such good stories and even has met the host families of both her mom and her sister. Let’s help Marly continue the family tradition and follow her dreams.

Doniyor is a high school student from Uzbekistan who comes from a close and supportive family. He enjoys helping at home, spending time with his sisters, and relaxing with family movie nights or evening walks. He has a wide range of interests, especially math, law, economics, and diplomacy, and hopes to study pre-law or international relations in the future. Doniyor loves staying active through sports like soccer, tennis, volleyball, swimming, and chess — and he even played on a professional youth soccer team. When he’s not studying or playing sports, Doniyor enjoys filming and editing videos, exploring his city, traveling, and hanging out with friends. He also has a fun and creative hobby: inventing meals using only eggs and potatoes (six so far!), which has earned him jokes about opening a “potato-only restaurant.” He describes himself as positive, curious, and friendly, and he enjoys making people laugh and feel comfortable. Doniyor is excited to experience American culture, improve his English, and build meaningful connections during his exchange year.

Ester is a kind, active student from northern Italy who loves family life, outdoor adventures, and sharing meaningful traditions. She’s been a dedicated scout since age seven and enjoys camping, cooking together, singing, and spending time in nature. She’s also sporty—she goes to the gym, loves hiking, snorkeling, and previously practiced figure skating. Ester is very close to her family and hopes to build the same warm connection with her host family. She enjoys music with her dad, shopping or walking with her mom, and watching shows with her younger brother. She’s excited to share Italian culture, stories, and everyday life while learning American traditions from the inside. Friendly, responsible, and eager to experience something new, Ester is ready to become a true part of a family.

Zilola is a creative fun-loving student that lives in a large city in Uzbekistan. She has a large extended family of cousins, and her grandmother is next door, so they spend a lot of time together over meals. Zilola loves to cook and wants to share this love with her American family. Zilola is part of an American English support class and helps others with the language. She is excited to practice her English in the U.S. and wants to learn the culture, while sharing hers. Zilola has tried many sports (water polo, karate, taekwondo, swimming, and dancing) and wants to stay healthy and fit during her exchange program, by trying new things. She considers herself an orderly and neat student, so she will always keep her room clean and loves to help around the house, when possible.

Tihalina from France, writes “I want to discover the world not through books or screens, but through smiles, meetings, and everyday gestures.”  She and her family have adopted goats who they refer to as the “Queens of the garden”.  Besides loving her four-legged family members, she enjoys a close-knit home life with her two brothers and dad. She describes herself as independent and enthusiastic.  She has a wide range of interests including music, reading, photography and scouting which she enjoys due the respect for nature and teamwork that it fosters.  She is also very involved in sports and physical activity such as tennis, basketball, ping pong, track, dance, and roller skating.  She is also very dedicated to the philosophy of cultural exchange. She is extremely focused on bringing unique cultural experiences to the table-literally- she loves to cook crepes, kouign-amman and her family’s special recipe from the Southwest of France,  canelés Bordelais.  Tihalina also wants to learn about and take part in such American traditions as Thanksgiving.  Please consider opening your home to a student who is full of appreciation of other cultures and wishes to learn all she can as well as share the uniqueness of her own with you. 

Emanuel (15) is a thoughtful and responsible student from Spain who brings calm curiosity and genuine warmth to every home he enters. He loves sharing stories at the table, helping with pets, and pitching in with daily routines. With a passion for nature, reading, sports, and music, he’s the kind of student who blends in easily while adding something meaningful—whether it’s a helping hand, a good conversation, or a new perspective. He writes, "I hope that, if we meet, we can create good memories together and that I can become not only a guest, but a real part of your family." Don’t miss the chance to welcome him into yours.