From host mom Karen about her family’s “beloved German daughter” Pina:

“Pina jumped in from day one and hasn’t stopped seeking to squeeze every drop of enjoyment from her year here. She has consistently asked questions about family life, culture, traditions, school, our country, government, history, etc. She has been equally curious about us as individuals – as her “family” here in the U.S. – asking questions about our backgrounds, preferences, hopes and dreams, and more… We have had countless fascinating conversations about the differences in our respective cultures and families. Pina’s insatiable curiosity and sense of humor have enlivened our lives beyond description.”

Pina has excelled at school and immersed herself in the “joys of being an American high-schooler” by attending dances, concerts, games, theater performances and participating in a sport every season:  flag football and soccer in Fall, swimming in Winter where she won the award for “Most Valuable Athlete”, and soccer in Spring.

Pina’s talents and thoughtfulness are often on display when she proactively seeks ways to help; prepares meals and baked goods (including some favorites from her home); gives beautiful, handmade gifts; or supports the family after host dad David had a skiing accident, baking cookies and regularly checking in or visiting him at the hospital. “During this time of unexpected stress and change for our family, Pina has responded with flexibility, grace and empathetic caring for us all,” host mom Karena says and continues, “We have been beyond blessed to have had Pina with us this year. She exceeded our wildest hopes for hosting an exchange student. When she leaves for Germany and returns to her family, there will be a tangible hole in our home. We will miss her terribly, but Pina will forever be in our hearts! We look forward to having her as a lifelong honorary family member – daughter, sister and friend! We love you, Pina!!”

“The moment Guillermo stepped off the plane, it felt like we knew him his whole life,” host mom Nicole says in her nomination.

Family Fausto never expected an experience like this when they decided to host Guillermo. In Nicole’s mind, the thing that stands out most about Guillermo is his big heart. “He is always trying to make you laugh or smile, he loves everyone, always wants to help or be there for you any way he can.” Nicole also highlights Guillermo’s adventurous nature, saying he is always eager to do and experience new things.

“He has taught me so many things. He is more than we could have ever hoped for and we are so thankful for this lifelong relationship.”

What stood out to host mom Cheryl about Nacho was his “excellent mindset.” Cheryl explains that she and her husband John are empty-nesters who live in the country, outside a small town in Minnesota, which “is NOT every exchange student’s dream placement” but Nacho dove right in and became an invaluable member of the family, his school community, and also a close-knit friend group.

Nacho joined the Cross-Country team right after he arrived and made good friends right away. “He was also voted Homecoming King at the high school, a mere four weeks after he arrived!” Cheryl says. “The exchange students with the best experiences are those who decide to take advantage of every opportunity… and Nacho understood that from day one. His upbeat personality and easy conversation make him the kind of person that everyone wants to be around. He’s also incredibly thoughtful, eager to help around the house or assist a friend or a family member whenever he can. And even though Nacho has an (extremely!) busy social calendar, he has maintained A’s in all of his high school classes.” 

“The house is going to be quiet without him around next year. But we’re so happy for the time we’ve spent with him and the memories we’ve made.”

In her nomination, host mom Pam says Bea makes every day of her exchange count.

Bea formed bonds with the family quickly and has been best friends with her host sister from day one. “She is the best host daughter to us…she loves to spend time with our family: playing board games, going on trips, cooking and baking and hanging out at the house.” But Bea also got active in the community: She was involved with the choir, sings on the worship team of Family Holloway’s church and is involved with the youth group program. According to Pam, Bea excels at school and her teachers adore her.

“Bea possesses this beautiful quality of making others feel loved and cared for. She is kind, thoughtful and loving,” Pam says.  When her husband broke his ankle recently, Bea has ” bent over backwards to help him with anything he’s needed, always asking him if she can help in any way.”

“She has made our family better and has not only become my daughter’s lifelong best friend, and a daughter to us, but she has also become an important part of her school and our community.”

Host mom Paula is currently a substitute teacher at the same high school Arthur is attending. “Whenever I mention my introductory ‘fun fact’ to a class that this year I am a ‘host mom’ for a foreign exchange student, it amazes me how often students are quick to raise their hand to ask me if it’s Arthur. No matter the grade or the subject, on a campus with 3200 students, ‘Is it Arthur?’ is what I’m regularly asked.”  Follow-up questions about Arthur’s home country, hosting, or becoming an exchange student are asked with genuine interest, which, to Paula, only speaks to the positive and impactful impression Arthur has made on many members of his high school community. “His teachers have made it a point to tell me that he is a pleasure to have in class because he is attentive and respectful, which then usually inspires his classmates to behave the same way.”

According to Paula, Arthur’s tennis coach has been especially grateful for Arthur’s maturity and good sportsmanship he is modeling for the younger JV players. Between matches, “Arthur could regularly be found talking about being an exchange student with curious tennis players from opposing teams” and that is what stands out most to Paula: Arthur truly knows how to build bridges and show what public diplomacy, the goal of student exchange programs like iE’s, looks like.

“We’re awfully glad to have had him in our home this year, and I know that the TMHS community has been very happy to host him as well.”

Host dad Daniel describes Julia as a “naturally very kind, friendly, intelligent and adaptable young lady.” In his experience, Julia has always made efforts to not only bridge gaps but also to advocate for herself. Daniel is especially impressed by Julia’s flexibility and adaptability and says she has set new standards for him and his family. 

When Julia moved from her first host family and joined the Almans, the transition went “exceptionally well,” Daniel says. With five girls, “our family is loud, has many personalities and is just plain busy,” and Julia “handled the chaos of our home and family with the poise and grace commonly associated with an adult. Julia quickly found ways to integrate whether it was participation in daily chores or connecting with others in our many dinnertime conversations.”

“Julia has a permanent spot in our hearts, she has encouraged growth and development in our younger family members and has served as an amazing example to all family members in good ways to deal with tough situations.” “What a blessing she is,” he concludes.

In her nomination, host mom Jamie says that “Luisa is a shining example of what it means to be an International Experience Ambassador. She has embraced new challenges, invested in her education, and made a meaningful impact in our community.”

With academic achievements that speak for themselves, Luisa demonstrates academic prowess and has embraced new challenges, experiences, and opportunities for growth.

According to Jamie, Luisa has also made a lasting impact in her community. She joined the town’s flag football team and committed to every practice and game with enthusiasm, determination, and team spirit.

“She has become a beloved member of our family, treating our children like her own siblings, participating in family traditions, and offering to help around the house. Her dedication and kindness have made a profound impression on us and everyone around her. We are honored to have had the opportunity to host her, and we are confident that she will continue to be an outstanding representative of her home country and her exchange program.”

Host mom Mandy was impressed with how Levi jumped right into their “extremely active” family, becoming an “instant brother” to Dakota, willing to go on any adventure offered. “Levi has truly immersed himself in the exchange program,” Mandy says.

He volunteered for charity events, dressed up for football game nights, joined the chess club and archery team (even helping them secure the TSSAA Archery Championship with the highest score in TN history), as well as the climbing club and oceanography club.

He challenged himself academically and as a person, tried different foods and activities, and listened to music he wasn’t interested in at first — and then changed his mind about many of the things he was hesitant about, taking full advantage of the opportunity he had been offered.

The experience has not only changed Levi, but also Family Williams: “Levi joined our family in August 2022 and will remain family forever.”

“When we first signed up for this program, we didn’t really know what we were getting ourselves into,” says Maks’ host mom Kimberly. “But this amazing new member of our family makes us say with certainty that we would do it again!”

In Kimberly’s words: Maks and his positive attitude have allowed him to experience everything this program has to offer. He quickly managed to make new connections – even though we live in a small, rural area – and has been able to prosper in a very different cultural environment. Maks is a hardworking student and has taken advantage of everything the school has to offer, including the video production class, anchoring daily school announcements, taking photos of school events for his yearbook class…

Kimberly notes, “Throughout Maks’ time in the US, we have seen a lot of personal growth with him. In the beginning he was reluctant to put himself out there, but as the year went on, his confidence skyrocketed, and we saw him come out of shell through sports, clubs, and volunteering activities.” Maks joined the school’s football team, and even though he didn’t get any play time, he recalls it as one of the most culturally enriching experiences he’s had in America, now understanding what it is to be part of a team. He then joined the swim team in the winter. In addition, Maks started a Culture Club at school, was involved in Youth in Government and also co-founded a Public Speaking & Debate club at the school. Here, Maks and other club members worked on improving their speaking ability and conversed about world issues.

On top of everything else, Maks is also a proud philanthropist! This year he has donated more than 50 hours of his time to community service. Kimberly concludes, “Maks has greatly represented Poland and made an everlasting impact on us, his host family, along with so many other people in our school and community.”

According to Finn’s host mom Patricia, “Finn is an amazing young man. He arrived in Michigan on August 7, and by September he was loved by everyone that had met him.” Finn joined the varsity football team, and it was obvious at the first game that – even though he did not get a lot of playing time — he was already the crowd favorite. Finn was always on the sidelines to encourage not only his teammates … but also to encourage the fans to cheer and yell! It wasn’t long before Finn was nominated for “Player of the Week.”

According to Patricia, Finn has excelled in athletics and academics. He was inducted into the National Honor Society and he volunteered to be a junior football coach for elementary and middle school kids.

She continues, “From the day he arrived he fell right into place with our family. He has been put in many situations that would make a normal teenager nervous and slightly uncomfortable. Finn never blinked an eye, he has always been engaging with others, even if he only just met them.”

Finn has taken every opportunity to make this the best experience for him and he has forever changed our lives and those of us that have gotten the honor to fall in love with his quick smile, big heart, and free spirit. He has become my son’s best friend and my second son.” He has positively impacted so many lives in our little Michigan town of Marine City.

Francy’s host mom Scarlett writes, “We knew Francy fit in with us from the first day: she stepped into our house and broke our shower because she didn’t know how to use it. That first laugh and shared embarrassment cemented the beginning of our bond… and we all realized that she was a part of our family forever.”

Scarlett noted that Francy has “surprised us in her eagerness to learn about our culture.” She threw herself headfirst into her American high school experience by trying out for sports such as tennis and cross country before the school year had begun. Since schools in Italy do not offer any extra-curricular activities, she was not aware that she had any athletic ability… yet she decided to continue with cross-country, she attended practices, she trained on her own, and she competed in cross-country races. She surprised herself with her own ability and enjoyed her first-time experience as an athlete.

She made friends at school from the first day, and loves her. Francy acclimated to her new home and country effortlessly and quickly became a big sister to our two-year-old daughter. According to Scarlett, “Francy has shown us that nothing can stop you but yourself.” Francy also volunteers with a local festival and has taken multiple opportunities to immerse herself with our culture and people while always remaining true to herself and where she has come from. Francy is a dedicated student and a great representative of her country. Scarlett concludes, “We are so thankful for this experience, and couldn’t have asked for a better student to join our family and create more than just bonds and memories, but a story of dedication and commitment that not many people get to experience.”

According to host mom Marisa, Marie has excelled during her time in the U.S., not only academically – she was on the honor roll multiple times – and athletically – she was voted “most valuable” for her cheerleading team, but as a family and community advocate.

“From the moment she got here, she fit right in with our family,” Marisa says. “We have all decided that we aren’t going to talk at all about her leaving. We consider Marie our ‘sister’ and ‘daughter’ and it will be very different around our house when she leaves.”  Speaking about the exchange experience, Marisa notes “It’s so strange that someone who came into our lives just a few short months ago, will be in our family forever.”