Meet Our Students

Hello, my name is Sarah and I am 15 years old. I live in a small town in Germany with my parents, older sister and 4 cats. I am a prestigious scholarship winner through the CBYX program. I chose this program because of its social and political commitment. I have enjoyed playing handball since I was 8 years old. Additionally, I have been a school paramedic for the past year. I also will be participating in my Confirmation this year and I am an advisor for the 4th grade kids who will also be participating. I also play a drum called the Tenor drum- it’s a Scottish drum mostly played in traditional Scottish bands, which I participate in with my mom who plays bagpipes. I also greatly enjoy playing Monopoly and am still perfecting my skills with this game! My favorite subjects are English, Politics and Economics. I aim to go to University after high school and to become an elementary school teacher. Recently, I had a 2 week long internship at my former elementary school which I loved and I also volunteered at an animal shelter with other students my age. At home, I help keep the home tidy, clean my bathrooms and walk the dog. I look forward to sharing our cultures together! !

Listening to music as she enjoys a great cup of coffee at the local coffee shop would be a wonderful way for Bruna to spend part of her day! She visits a coffee shop near her home and is such a frequent customer that she has now become friends with many of the staff members! Music is one of her favorite pastimes. She calls listening to music, "her medicine." Bruna is very family oriented and loves doing activities together. She enjoys volunteering in her community and helping others. Volleyball is a sport of the whole family. Her yellow lab, her constant companion since she was 4, is an important part of the family. Bruna's favorite school subjects are economics and history. She also loves to learn languages and cultures. When not watching movies with friends, she likes to read. Bruna wants to learn about American culture and share her own. Won't you open your heart and home to Bruna for the 2023-2024 school year?

Meet Yanisa, also known as Four, from the middle capital of Thailand. She describes herself as friendly and a good listener. She loves giving people advise and helping them as much as she can. Four enjoys cooking for her family with her mom and can’t wait to share her delicious Thai recipes with you. Every year, Four’s family goes camping in the mountains and the time spent outside in the fresh air, sunshine, and sleeping under the stars is very special to them. Four also likes to spend time with her friends, reading, painting, cycling, and playing basketball. She is excited to step out of her comfort zone, learn new things, and improve her English. Four looks forward to showing you the Thai way of life, while at the same time learning the American culture! She hopes to spend a nice year with your family and make lots of memories.

Ginevra (Ginny) is coming from a small village in the Northeast of Italy. She lives with her mom, stepfather, younger brother, and the family dog. Ginny describes herself as sensitive, loyal, honest, and a good listener. Ginevra is very determined and will do whatever it takes to accomplish her goals. Some of the activities Ginny enjoys are kickboxing, karate, swimming, hip-hop, music, and Formula One racing! She has recently discovered cooking and loves making pasta and sweets. Since she was younger, she has wanted to come to the US and attend an American High School. She is ready to face this challenge and will see you soon!

Meet Ginnie from Taiwan. Her friends call her Zin for short. She describes herself as a little shy at first, but once you get to know her, she can be very outgoing. Her close friends say that they assumed she is very quiet, but in reality, she is very talkative and makes them laugh a lot. When she is home, her family loves to spend Saturday dinner time together. She loves cooking with them and trying new dishes. Music and acting are her favorite hobbies. She is also a mass communication club member. This club's main activity is learning how to make videos, be an actor, and cooperate with a team. Her dream job is becoming a psychologist, actress, or a writer. Since she graduated from junior high school, she has dreamt about going to America. She loves watching American dramas, especially those about school life. She is fascinated by just how different American schools are from her own. She is very excited to experience American holidays such as Christmas and Halloween. These are some of the reasons she chose America. She really hopes to build an amazing relationship with her future host family.

Meet Carlos from Spain. He comes from a large family with 3 siblings, that get along really well. They enjoy fishing together, and movie nights. They also have a pet dog. His favorite classes are science and especially physics. Carlos is a person who is very concerned about the future of the earth, of our species, and what can happen to us if we do not start taking care of the planet, for that reason, when he grows up, he wants to be a physicist and dedicate himself to research, more specifically to the advancement of new forms of renewable energy. His favorite sport would be running. He loves to run races. He is so excited to come to America and learn all about our culture and teach his host family about him and cook a traditional Spanish meal.

Meet Elyssa! She is a high school student from France who is excited about the opportunity to experience life in the U.S. Elyssa enjoys spending time with her family and values her relationship with them. She looks forward to making connections with her U.S. host family as well. in her free time, Elyssa has many hobbies to keep her busy. These include playing guitar, spending time with her friends, and going to the gym. She is a vegetarian and has learned how to cook meals for herself in a way that allows her to express her creativity. She also enjoys sports and hopes to learn new sports in the U.S. as well. Elyssa considers herself to be flexible and open-minded and anticipates gaining new perspectives and ideas from her time in the U.S. She will be an incredible asset to any family and will bring a fresh outlook and perspective to those she encounters.

Meet your future son Mike. He is a curious and gregarious student from central Italy. He loves to explore new places and enjoys nature. Mike has been participating in gymnastics for years but really enjoys outdoor sports such as skiing, snorkeling, and mountain biking. He knows some of these may not be permitted or possible while in America and that is OK! Mike's other interests include printing objects with his 3D printer, math competitions, beating his personal record for solving the Rubrik's cube, listening to music, and cooking pasta dishes. He has always desired to be part of an exchange program and now he has YOU to thank for making those dreams come true. He cannot wait to be part of your family, contribute to your home, share his passions for art, and good food, and his enthusiasm for life.

Meet Shaelyn from Taiwan. Her friends and family say she is a very outgoing and lively person! Her friends say that if you get along with her, you will smile unconsciously. Shaelyn is very social and loves spending time with people in general and being active in school clubs and volunteering. Her favorite sports are swimming and volleyball. She really wants to try yoga and Pilates though. Her family loves to go on adventures whenever they can and have memories of their family time. Shaelyn loves to bake and mainly dessert at Christmas time. She loves singing too. She loves all small animals especially her pet dog who she takes for a walk every night. Shaelyn looks forward to her exchange year. She states, "In the coming year, I hope to achieve the self-identity of "family" by contributing to the family together, such as doing housework together and celebrating some insignificant things. And I wish to share my every day with you and the family to build harmony. If possible, I will make some special Taiwanese snacks for the host family to taste, so that life will be more diverse and interesting! As I am an easygoing and outgoing person, so I'm bound to fit into your family quickly."

Jeanne has dreamed of coming to the United States for years wanting to learn a new culture and learn how to be independent. She is a very sociable person so looks forward to meeting new people and making new friends. She enjoys the sciences in school and loves to read novels and listen to music when she has spare time. She likes spending time with her family and friends and especially enjoys surfing with friends on the weekends in the summer since her dad is a surfer, she spends much time during the week with him. The family also enjoys skiing and cycling together. Because of her interest in surfing, she volunteers to clean beaches for a surfer foundation. Baking is another interest Jeanne explores with one of her friends. She loves pets but doesn’t have any except two goldfish but would enjoy having a pet around. She looks forward to improving her English and spending a school year in the US and meeting her host family!