Meet Our Students

Meet Filip, he is a 14-year-old student from Poland. His family would describe him as a very open, confident, kind and helpful person with a big heart. He comes from a small family and is an only child. He has a dog and cat. He enjoys going out to a local park with his dog and playing board games like chess. Filip likes playing volleyball and soccer. At home, he helps with everyday chores. He loves music and also produces his own music. History is another one of his interests. He likes talking about history, watching videos, and going to museums, especially about WW2. Filip enjoys cooking, especially Polish and Italian dishes. He is into math and physics. He’s passionate about computers and space. In the future, he would like to go to college abroad and study math or computer science. He would like a career focused on making software for spaceships or create his own company based around the space industry. Would your family make the perfect home for this curious and outgoing boy?

Meet easy going and friendly Haoran from China. His favorite activity is playing basketball. From basketball he has learned from his failures and making progress, he enjoys being able to fight for a victory as this makes him very happy. Outside of sports Haoran enjoys music. He plays the erhu, learning to play the erhu has made him more confident and improved his musical skills. In his spare time with his family, they enjoy exercising and playing board games. Haoran is a studious young man, who is not only interested in China’s traditional culture but also foreign cultures. Haoran believes America has an amazing history, and he cannot wait to learn more about it this upcoming year as an exchange student.

Meet Riccardo! A 16 year old from Italy who lives with his parents and one younger brother. Riccardo is a worker! He has experienced many different jobs from babysitting, tutoring, and refereeing basketball games. He has also worked as a YouTube video writer and is starting a YouTube channel. Riccardo isn’t all about work though as he is passionate about basketball and playing the piano. He would love to make music together as a family. He also loves to cook…passion passed down by his father. He is looking forward to the opportunity to cook together with his host family, share his recipes, and learn new recipes. Riccardo has a tight group of 5 friends who are all very excited for his new experience, and he is looking forward to making more friends for life. He is excited about spending a year in the US driven by his desire to immerse himself in the American culture, and to learn from it’s diversity. He is looking forward to the journey of discovery, of friendship, and learning both from his host family, and from his future classmates.

Amanda is a special girl from Latvia, and she loves to read. She writes that she and her friends will read the same books and that they love to talk about what they have read. She said she also enjoys playing games, watching movies, and taking road trips with her family. She loves animals, volleyball, baking, and astronomy. She said she loves looking at the stars at night. She said she likes Math and Chemistry. She describes herself as a bit of a picky eater and said that some textures and tastes don’t agree with her.

Tamila is a responsible young woman from Uzbekistan. As the oldest child, with 4 siblings, she handles many responsibilities in her home. She loves animals and loves to care for them. She describes herself as very sociable, and she says that she has no trouble making friends. She also enjoys reading, watching movies with her family, and cooking. Read her letter to her host family to learn more about this Scholarship girl!

Meet Klaudia, a winner of the prestigious FLEX scholarship! Klaudia is a girl that loves nature. Fishing, hiking, nighttime walks and cycling are all things she does with her family regularly. Klaudia also enjoys going to motorcycle meets and on rides, especially in the summer when the weather is nice and warm all day. In addition to being outside Klaudia says that books and music have a special place in her heart. She is ready to experience different things, be part of a different culture and meet new people. Hopefully make friendships that will last forever!

Meet Elisa, who lives with her parents, sister, and dog in France. Elisa describes herself as motivated, dynamic, ambitious, and cheerful. She loves spending time with her family, and together they enjoy traveling, visiting museums, and going to the theater. After visiting NYC five years ago, Elisa just knew she wanted to come back to the United States as an exchange student. She enjoys school, with her favorite classes being math, physics, and technology. Her teachers find her serious and pleasant. When not studying, Elisa enjoys horseback riding, but also likes to dance and ski. She is also very passionate about scouting. Elisa looks forward to meeting you and is excited for her year of discovery in the United States!

Blanche began her life swimming at a young age. She then began modern/contemporary dance for 11 years which complimented her love for music. As time continued on, she found her self-proclaimed passion in life thus far: horses. Blanche loves all animals, but her most favorite are cats, dogs and horses. Blanche loves spending time with horses in competitions or helping others learn about horses. She is known for her smile and joy of life. She enjoys traveling, walking, baking cookies, playing board games and sharing meals with her mother and little brother. Blanche spent time in Canada for 3 weeks living with a Canadian family with Japanese and Italian students. She loved every minute of the experience. Blanche also has experience playing guitar, babysitting and pet sitting. Get to know Blanche a little more by reading her host family letter!

Meet Mariyam a 15-year-old from Kazakhstan. She loves to walk and explore. She lives with her parents and brother and sister, who are very important to her. Trust and politeness are important to Mariyam, and she values these qualities in others. Her friends would describe Mariyam as kind, funny, responsible, hardworking and mature. In other words, independent. She sees herself as a well-rounded person. She loves trying new things and is really interested in trying photography and drumming. Mariyam enjoys sharing post on social media that include her poems and stories as she says it makes her feel free and as though her words and thoughts are important in such a big world. She is currently writing a fantasy book. She hopes to write books and make films based on them in the future. For the last 5 months Mariyam has been teaching children with disabilities. For Mariyam this is an incredibly valuable experience. She loves sharing her knowledge and getting to know the experiences of others. Mariyam looks forward to sharing Kazakh traditions, culture, literature, and cuisine with her American family.

Meet Claudio who lives with her sister and parents on the coast of northern Spain. Claudio, who friends and family call Clau, is an avid field hockey player. When not busy playing, Clau enjoys going to the beach and to the cinema with her friends. When she gets older, Clau would like to be a civil engineer who helps discover new things to help society. Studying abroad has always interested Clau, and she is so excited to learn a new culture and meet new people. She looks forward to meeting her host family and experiencing all America has to offer!