Meet Our Students

“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!

Your kids and dog will love this guy! (But maybe not your bunny or cat – sorry, he’s allergic!) Family and kids are two of Ramon’s favorite things in this world. Cinema would be a close third. Ramon spends a lot of time with his beloved grandmother and parents, even though his mom and dad are separated. His daydream is working in cinema as a director, actor, or screenwriter. Since those are tough gigs to get into, he would be just as happy pursuing child psychology and creating a special place where “kids don’t get scared or feel different” because kids are “the most important people in this world.” Aside from being a movie buff and child advocate, Ramon is an active guy who is excited for a new adventure!

“My favorite activity is volunteering because it brings so much happiness in my life to see how kids smile” Volunteering is very important to scholarship winner, Elmirbek. He finds it interesting because he can meet new people and feel good about making the world a better place. His friends and family describe him as a kind, funny boy who often smiles. He wants to share his culture with his host family and share the national games, traditions, etc. but he wants to learn about the American government as one day he would like to become a businessman or architect and use his money to help starving children in Africa. He loves reading detective stories, modern technology and watching movies. If you host Elmirbek, you’ll be hosting a very interesting boy with a big heart and an interest in making the world a better place.

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?

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!

Musically inclined Lucia is ready to WOW you with her music abilities. Lucia plays three different instruments: the guitar, the violin, and the ukulele. Lucia has a great relationship with her family and says that her parents are the most influential people she knows as they are so supportive of her and her decisions and they can always make her laugh! Lucia also really enjoys staying active by going to the gym, playing beach tennis, snorkeling or playing volleyball. While in America Lucia would really like to go have breakfast at a Starbuck’s because she knows they are everywhere! One of the biggest dreams of Lucia’s for this school year is getting to have a locker that she can post her schedule up in and hang a mirror up just like in the movies. Lucia is excited to join your family and wants you to know that she loves trying new foods.

“I’m very thankful for this opportunity and I’m glad I can learn about this culture and live this experience” Spanish scholarship winner Ruth, wants to make the very most of her year and make her host family proud. She loves to cook health brownies and cookies and she also enjoys racket sports, like tennis and badminton. She often goes for walks and hikes with her family and she likes to visit her grandparents on the weekends. She enjoys spending time with her friends, taking pictures, having little parties and going shopping. Ruth is also on the school newspaper and enjoys reading and writing a great deal. She is very excited to see the world and learn all about America, it’s a dream come true for this scholarship winner and she wants to thank her host family in advance for the opportunity they are giving her.

Takhmina is from a family of hard workers. Her mother runs a school and her father is a handyman at the same school. Takhmina says he can fix anything. One year in their town there wasn't any electricity - not in summer or winter. The whole town worked hard to make it through this time. The experience has inspired Takhmina to want to be an engineer - to fix problems that others have. She is also very interested in Math and Chemistry and hopes to take those classes while on the program - she knows it will be hard in English but she works hard and loves a challenge. In her spare time, she has learned to play tennis from her cousin who is also her best friend and her classmate. She has quickly learned to love the game.

Like most Italians, Basi is very family orientated. He’d do anything for his family and can’t wait to have those same feelings in his new American family too. He hopes to forge a strong bond with his new family that will last forever. He loves children and animals. He has chosen a hard school in Italy, but he really enjoys swimming, he would love to do more of it. He also loves biking and soccer. He is easily able to establish good relationships with people so he will blend seamlessly into your family and be a wonderful addition for the year.

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.