Meet Our Students

Meet Emma, a 17-year-old girl from France. She is looking forward to living with her American family and going to an American school. She lives with her parents and two cats; her sister doesn’t live at home but does come home for the weekends. “I would describe myself as a curious, creative, and caring person. My friends often say that I am a good listener and that I try to see the positive side of situations”. One of the biggest parts of her life is dancing. She has been dancing since she was 3. She also helps as an assistant in groups of young dancers. Books also play an important role in my daily life along with music. Emma enjoys traveling and learning new languages. She is currently learning Korean and Russian. Her favorite subjects at school Cinema, History, French and Philosophy. In the future, she would like to work in criminal behavior analysis.

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.

Emie is from a small French beach town and loves to meet new people and explore new cultures. She loves running, swimming, drawing, and enjoying time with family. Emie is the oldest sibling and has one younger brother. She also likes dogs and especially cats. Emie speaks English and French and wants to become more bilingual by living with an American family. She is a sunny, happy person that loves to help others and is excited about experiencing the American dream.

Meea is a joyful and open minded girl from Finland who loves experiencing and learning new things. She lives with her parents, her brother, and their dog Toffee, and shares a close bond with her family. Her friends and family describe her as caring, funny, and trustworthy. Meea enjoys spending time with family and friends, whether it’s watching movies, playing board games, or going for walks. She really enjoys staying active by going for a jog or to the gym. Meea was involved with gymnastics for seven years, but now enjoys volleyball and baseball. She also enjoys cooking and baking, and looks forward to sharing traditional Finnish foods with you like korvapuustit (cinnamon rolls) and lihapullat (meatballs). At school, her favorite subjects are sports and psychology because she says "sports are fun and psychology is interesting". Meea cannot wait to learn more about American culture, especially American Holidays such as Halloween and Thanksgiving. She is excited to embrace American culture, join school activities, and create unforgettable memories while growing as a person and becoming more independent.

Katharina, is a 15-year-old who is from northern Germany. She enjoys the outdoors and exercise, so she rides her bike to school every day. Besides her studies, she is a school first aider and conflict mediator. After school she likes to meet up with friends and go to tennis lessons and horse riding once a week. Her sister spent a year in the USA, and it is a dream of hers to do the same. Katharina would like to get involved in Clubs and also learn a new sport like volleyball, basketball, or even dance. She can't wait to make new friends and meet her host family so she can learn more about our culture and celebrate our holidays!

Adelaide (16) – France Adelaide 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 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!!!

Meet Tihalina,16, 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. 

Camille (16) is a kind, thoughtful student from France who naturally fits into family life. She enjoys helping in the kitchen, joining everyday routines, and being part of the small moments that make a home feel connected. She’s great with younger kids, happy to walk the dog, and eager to pitch in wherever she’s needed. She values conversation, gratitude, and shared traditions, and she’s excited to learn from her host family while also bringing her own culture and perspective. She doesn’t want to be a guest—she wants to belong, contribute, and grow alongside the people who welcome her. Her warmth, curiosity, and steady presence make her the kind of student who quietly strengthens a household in meaningful ways. A student like her won’t be available for long—don’t miss the chance to welcome her.

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.