Meet Our Students

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.

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.

To learn more about me, please see my Dear Host Family Letter!

Meet the wonderful Imke!! She is from a smaller town in the Netherlands and is looking forward to this fantastic adventure. Imke is social and talkative, she loves trying most new things like food and sports. She is from a large family of 5, so she is used to siblings and a larger family dynamic. Imke is open to traveling and learning about many different cultures. Imke is athletic in numerous sports like Tennis and Korfball. She plays at the club level and even volunteers to help teach the younger girls at the club she plays at. She enjoys the competition sports offer and the social aspect of making friends through sports. Imke is very family oriented and loves the idea of becoming a part of her host family. Playing boardgames, helping cook or just handing out and communication through humor is important to her. She is looking forward to visiting stores in America like Target, Sephora and Walmart are just a few on her list to be able to walk through and experience the store chains we have here in America. In addition, experiencing sporting events at an American High School is very exciting for her. Imke has a lot of team spirit and wants to embrace it all!! Let’s help give Imke the perfect host family that love sports, that is outgoing and believes family is important too.

Arianna from Italy lives with her family, which includes her mom, dad, brother, and their beloved dog, Lola, an Australian Shepherd, she loves animals. Her little brother is her favorite person. She describes herself as a funny girl, who loves talking, making new friendships and new experiences. Arianna has a deep passion for cooking, particularly when it comes to baking cookies. Her other interests include theatre, bicycling, listening to pop music, traveling and exploring new places and watching movies (her favorite genre is horror). Ari loves children and has worked as an entertainer at a summer camp for the past two years. She has also tried various sports, including dance, swimming, basketball, tennis, and gymnastics, with tennis being her favorite, she played for six years. After high school, Arianna dreams of becoming an au pair in the United States. She chose to participate in an exchange program to share Italian culture with her American family and community by cooking traditional dishes. Additionally, she aims to become more independent and improve her English skills. Although she is uncertain about her future, Arianna knows she loves working with children and envisions a career as a teacher. That's all from Italy for now, looking forward to meeting you!

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.

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.

Curious, thoughtful, and quietly adventurous, Lilith is ready to embrace new experiences and grow along the way. While Lilith may be a little shy at first, she has been challenging herself to step outside her comfort zone—finding joy in conversations, connections, and trying new things. She loves staying active, whether it’s playing tennis, going to the gym, or simply spending time with friends. Music is also an important part of her life, as Lilith enjoys playing piano to relax and unwind. She appreciates both fun family time and moments to recharge, bringing a balanced and respectful presence into a home. Excited to learn, share, and create meaningful memories, Lilith would be a wonderful addition to any host family.

Meet Le Yuan from Taiwan.  His name “Lee” means “joyful” in his mother tongue of Mandarin- a name he says fits him well.  He describes himself as a positive, curious person who loves to smile.  He drew inspiration to embark on this adventure after living in the UK for a year with his family, he encountered and overcame cultural differences, learning a lot in the process. That experience taught him to step out of his comfort zone, now that he is a teen he is ready to experience these things on his own, as an exchange student in the US living with a host family.  He described himself as calm and easy-going.  He is also responsible and caring in that he describes routinely helping out around the house, cooking, cleaning and taking out the trash.  He also states that he is extremely grateful for this opportunity and very appreciative. His goals for himself for this exchange year include, making friends, joining clubs, and improving his English. He loves sports- he has been playing soccer since he was six, plays table tennis and enjoys long distance running.  He plays board games too including the game of “Go” an ancient Chinese strategy game. He is excited to meet his new American family!

Meet Fanny from France!  Fanny is extremely enthusiastic about the opportunity to spend an exchange year in the U.S. It is one of her “biggest dreams” and she has been focused on making it happen since she was young. Spending an exchange year in the U.S. is what has motivated her to study English. Fanny explains that she is extremely grateful for her friends and family and values those relationships highly. Her friends describe her as someone who is very kind, thoughtful, funny, emotional and reliable.  One of her other dreams- going to an American football game and rooting for her team!    She also loves all animals especially her cats Bambou and Ficelle with whom she shares a deep connection.  Fanny loves to do crafts and dance (she is currently on a dance team). She also enjoys the self-discipline she gets from pushing herself at the gym and often clears her head by going for a run. She also enjoys all genres of music.  Baking is also one of Fanny’s hobbies, her specialty is cinnamon rolls because she loves the smell. Fanny is overflowing with energy and excitement; she is more than ready to make the most of her exchange year here in the US.