Meet Our Students

Tomás is an energetic and curious student who is excited to experience life in the United States and become part of a welcoming host family. As Tomás shares, “I truly can’t wait to start this life-changing journey, share my daily life with you, and learn from a new culture.” He enjoys staying active and has a strong passion for soccer, especially cheering for his favorite team, FC Barcelona. Tomás hopes to join a school team or club and is also excited to try new American sports. He has a strong musical background, having studied piano and tuba for seven years. In his free time, he enjoys reading adventure novels, watching movies, spending time with friends, and being outdoors. Tomás is sociable, positive, tidy, and enjoys cooking and sharing meals with his family.

Meet Lori, from central Japan. She is so excited to visit the United States as this will be her very first time abroad! She loves playing soft tennis, making sweets, cooking Japanese food like shogayaki (ginger pork), talking about music with friends, and going for relaxing walks. During her stay, she can’t wait to experience everyday American life and share Japanese culture (and treats!) with her host family. One day, she hopes to become a Japanese teacher. She is truly looking forward to meeting you!

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”.

Katharina, who is from northern Germany, enjoys the outdoors and exercise. She also 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!

Meet Maïwenn from France with Italian roots who comes from a close, lively family. Growing up in a rural area, she has learned the value of connection, adaptability, and shared moments—whether cooking together, celebrating holidays, or simply spending time with loved ones. At home, she’s especially devoted to her cat, Raven, who she lovingly cares for and considers a true member of the family. Maïwenn is excited to experience everyday American life: attending school, joining in family routines, celebrating holidays like Halloween and Thanksgiving, and discovering what makes life in the U.S. unique. She hopes to become fluent in English, build meaningful friendships, and form a strong bond with her host family. Curious, cheerful, and thoughtful, Maïwenn is eager to fully immerse herself, share her culture, and return home enriched by the relationships and experiences she gains.

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. 

Alberto is a student from a small town in northwest Italy who attends a scientific high school with a sports focus. His program combines academics with sports-related studies, including economics and law of sports, and five hours of physical activity each week. He enjoys his classes, has a good relationship with his classmates, and likes spending time with friends after school. Alberto hopes to study in the United States because he is curious about new cultures, experiences, and sports. He sees this opportunity as a way to grow personally, improve his English, and become more independent. Having already completed a one-month exchange in France, he feels prepared to live away from home and embrace new challenges. Family is very important to Alberto. He lives with his parents, two brothers, and his dog, Frisky, an 8-year-old golden retriever. He loves animals and enjoys walking his dog, visiting his grandparents, traveling, hiking, and cooking with his family. Sports play a major role in Alberto’s life. He learned to ski at age three and enjoys skiing with his family and friends. He has played soccer and basketball and continues to go to the gym regularly. While in the U.S., he hopes to play basketball or soccer again or try new sports. Alberto is excited to learn about American culture, share his daily life with a host family, and build meaningful relationships during his exchange year.

Meet Luana who is from an Italian city bursting with history and postcard-perfect scenes. Italian born and Peruvian at heart, she shares her lively home with her mom, stepdad, two sisters, her rabbit, and a hamster named Taco. Luana describes herself as active, cheerful, curious and positive, a bit shy at first, then she becomes very sociable. She is a very responsible and reliable person. Luana loves hanging out with friends but also treasures her quiet moments. She enjoys going to the gym and having a healthy lifestyle. She has played volleyball for 2 years, she enjoys being part of a team. Her downtime she enjoys being with friends, music with happy vibes, and quality family time. She enjoys cooking especially desserts and lasagna is her favorite, and she also looks forward to making Peruvian dishes. At school, Law is her favorite subject. She keeps her room tidy “because I like living in an organized space and I work hard to do this every day”. She's got it all figured out—or at least seems like she does!

Angelina is a warm, enthusiastic girl from the Southwest of France who would be a wonderful addition to any host family. She’s positive, open‑minded, and genuinely loves connecting with people. As an only child, she’s both independent and very appreciative of family life. She’s respectful, responsible, and adapts easily to new routines. She loves animals, enjoys an active lifestyle, and is excited to share French cooking—tarts, gratin dauphinois, Basque talo, and more. Her experience in Model United Nations shows her curiosity about the world and her maturity. She dreams of becoming a lawyer and sees this exchange year as an essential step toward her future. Angelina can’t wait to experience American school life, join activities (cheerleading is her dream), and celebrate traditions like Thanksgiving and Christmas. Hosting her means welcoming a joyful, motivated young woman who will truly become part of your 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.