Meet Our Students

Meet Simone, who goes by the nickname, Momo! He is an easy-going and humorous young man who describes himself as always having a smile on his face. He lives at home with his family and their pet dog. Momo likes to help his family out in the kitchen. He claims he isn't as good a cook as his parents but if he doesn't know how to cook a certain food is willing to learn. His passion is playing guitar and has been playing since he was 8 years old. He also enjoys listening to music as it relaxes him. Momo also loves playing water polo, he started playing at a young age and really loves it. Momo likes to stay in shape and cares very much about his health. He is excited to come to the United States to study abroad and learn about American culture while making lots of lifelong friends and play different American high school sports. And maybe cook some yummy Italian food for you!

“I would really love it if I could have a second family and friends on the other side of the ocean, so I could sit down with you one day and share memories of our time spent together” Sulev is already excited about having a forever family in the USA. He spends his days with a very full school schedule and on weekends he helps his grandparents with chores. He finds time for some fun activities like the Noored Kotkad, which is like the boy scouts, and he also loves folk dancing, singing, basketball, handball, and canoeing. He even canoed in a 100km long marathon that took 15 hours to complete. His sister was an exchange student 8 years ago and now Sulev can’t wait for this wonderful opportunity as he knows he will make memories with you, that will last a lifetime.

“I discovered a very typical dish that I never heard of before: the clam chowder, simply delicious! Edoardo loves to search for new places, experiences, and food he’s never tried before. He’s adventurous and sport, he loves to ski and sail but he’s also happy to play video games and watch tv. He doesn’t have pets at home but would love it if his host family had a pet. He hopes “little by little to become a local” and thanks to his host family in advance for this wonderful opportunity!

Rocio, who goes by Rosie, is a straight A student who would like to study psychology and/or criminology at Columbia University. She enjoys learning about how the brain works. It's the simple things in life that keep her happy! Like spending time with family or friends, walking through a mall or having a meal together. She is also very active. She used to be part of an archery club, but recently moved on so she could spend more time studying and working out at the gym. She uses that time at the gym to clear her head. Rocio believes that "having a person from another country in your house would be a great oportunity to learn (without having to experience it) about other countries’ beliefs and celebrations." Are you ready to experience Spain and welcome Rocio into your family?

“She believed she could fly, so she did!’ Gymnastics is a huge part of Julia’s life, one day she would love to be a coach at a gymnastics club. She is passionate about the sport and loves that it challenges her. She is a strong girl at a young age who would love to make a big difference in the world. She’s an advocate for the LGBT community and feminism and would do great in a family that has a strong female role model. Julia is a straight A student and the winner of a very competitive scholarship. Making friends and learning about the American culture is an opportunity she has worked hard for and is also very thankful for. She would also like to share her culture with her host family. If your family believes in girl-power, host Julia, she’ll be a fantastic addition!

Gui, as his friends and family call him, is a very enthusiastic and motivated young man. He is a lover of animals and has quite a few of his own! Living in Portugal, Gui loves the summer and beach activities but is super excited to experience snow days (he’s only seen snow a couple of times in his life before!). Gui wants to experience different cultures and understand the world better. He wants to learn to accept diversities and spread that knowledge to others. Since he loves this lifestyle so much and has such a passion for traveling, he hopes to one day become a pilot like his aunt. He is looking forward to this experience and is very excited to eat more burgers while in America! He promises to help out around the home whenever needed and will make this the best experience ever.

Meet Viktor - quite possibly the ideal FLEX scholarship winner! In his town in Kazakhstan he visits the Polish and German communities to learn their languages. This method has been so effective that he won a language contest to study in Germany. He is hopeful that his language skills will help him perfect his English - all of this is to help him to achieve his goal of a career in International Relations. He loves reading a variety of books, and he works at the school magazine as a writer and designer. He hopes to contribute to the yearbook at his American high school. Viktor lives with his "small family" which consists of his parents, little sister, grandmother and an aunt. He describes himself as "benevolent, non-con conflict, honest, flexible, and sociable person." Sounds pretty great, right?

I am Makhabbat, it means "love". I am very happy to be a recipient of the FLEX scholarship award. I am from Kazakhstan and I live in the countryside in a beautiful city. My family consists of 5 people mother, father, a grandmother, my little sister and me. I adore my family and they are the most important part of my life. We enjoy going to the cinema, going for walks and just spending time together. I adore pets, so if you have animals, we will become good friends. I have 3 white cats and two brilliant dogs. I'm also very interested in playing volleyball, badminton, drawing pictures and making handmade things. I am quite enthusiastic about handmade things. I often create with my sister something for her toys. I am a positive person and I always smile. I try to do things that make me better or will help to improve myself, for example, reading books or doing exercise. I always want to do volunteering and I just want to help people. I think volunteering could be interesting for me because of meeting new people and seeing new places. From my exchange year, I want to learn, try something new, get a new experience and making new friends from around the world.

Are you looking for a student that enjoys learning? Meet James of Thailand! James is homeschooled but is eager to be part of American High school. James is gifted in computers. He enjoys working on coding, graphic designing, video editing, and photo shooting. His longtime goal is to work with computers. His family is very excited that he will be an exchange student and very supportive of his decision to learn more. James is eager to help his new host family and in whatever needs to be done. He is willing to take care of pets or even cook for you!

"I have big dreams for my life, I will put my best effort towards them, and I feel studying and living abroad is one of the best things I can do to help me reach my potential." Scholarship recipient Lucia wants to fully embrace her exchange experience to help develop as a human being and to form life long relationships with her host family and new friends. Karate is an important part of Lucia's life. She has learned a lot of discipline, self-control and personal growth through karate and really enjoys it. Lucia is excited to learn new sports while in the USA, she is eager to learn about American culture and fully embrace it. Lucia is very excited for the opportunity to be part of your family and is willing to do her part in this cultural exchange. She is extremely grateful for your hospitality!