Meet Our Students

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.

Martina (Marti) is a sunny, animal-loving student from Italy who’s passionate about understanding people and their behavior. She studies human sciences, rides horses competitively, and enjoys skiing, gymnastics, and cooking homemade pizza with her Dad. When she was 10, she spoke with a girl who had just returned from an exchange year in the U.S.—and from that moment, it became her dream to do the same. Now, she’s excited to finally make it happen! Marti looks forward to learning about American culture, making new friends, and growing through this experience. She hopes to be part of a warm, welcoming family and can’t wait to share laughter, traditions, and everyday life together. If you're looking for a joyful, curious, and caring student to share your home and heart with—Marti is ready to become part of your family.

Cooper is a thoughtful, respectful, and open-minded student from Thailand who is excited about the opportunity to live with a host family in the United States. Growing up in a Thai-international school environment has helped him become adaptable, communicative, and comfortable with people from many different backgrounds, and his previous experience living abroad with a host family in Brisbane, Australia, gave him even more confidence, independence, and ease in adjusting to new environments. His main goal as an exchange student is to improve his English, experience American school and family life, and continue growing through cultural exchange. Sports are a major part of his life, especially basketball, which is one of his greatest passions. He is a member of his school basketball team, was selected as a GBAC All Star, and has also trained in New York, where he was inspired by American basketball culture and coaching. In addition to basketball, he has experience in ice hockey, skiing, badminton, and golf, showing that he enjoys staying active and trying new things. Outside of sports, he enjoys music, is learning to play the guitar, likes watching movies, and occasionally plays video games. Easygoing and not a picky eater, Cooper would bring a positive attitude, a strong sense of responsibility, and genuine excitement to a host family while creating meaningful memories through the exchange experience.

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.

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.

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!!!

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.

Sacha is a friendly and energetic student from France who is excited about the opportunity to become part of an American family. He describes himself as sociable and open-minded, someone who loves meeting new people and having great conversations. Sacha enjoys spending time with friends, whether it’s going on car rides while singing their favorite songs or staying active together. Sports are a big part of his life, especially Muay Thai boxing, which helps him stay balanced and focused. He is also creative and enjoys drawing, fashion, music, and movies—especially imaginative films like Coraline. At home, Sacha shares a close bond with his older sister and loves caring for his energetic dog Oscar and two cats. “I’m excited to discover your culture, share mine, and create memories together as part of your family.”

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!

Meet Arthur who has a big desire to continue learning English and the American culture is very important to him. Arthur is a true thinker of the world. He seeks the experience of culture and being a part of the American Schools is exciting to him. He wants to immerse himself in American traditions and all our Holidays. If you celebrate holidays, he is a perfect fit for your family traditions. Arthur, being very open-minded, will embrace all of his time in America. Arthur is athletic and enjoys sport competitions. He has been swimming for a long time. He loves bike riding and hiking or just walking around to see different environments from fields to forest. He feels very connected with the mountains and the beauty of the mountains. His adventurous side takes him to the wild rides of roller coasters, he loves them! He has a great bond with his family and can talk to his mom about anything and enjoys watching and learning sports with his dad. Let’s make Arthur’s wish come true to come to America!