LAKE CHARLES, La. (KPLC) – International Student Exchange is looking for families to host students for the upcoming school year.
“For the most part, none of the students have ever been to the U.S. They’ve seen it in movies, they’ve seen it on the news, like, they have this idea of America in their mind, and it may not be the version of America that they come to, but getting to experience things, and seeing them experience things for the first time is very eye opening for a lot of people because it’s the things we take for granted,” International Student Exchange Representative Catherine Johnson said.
Johnson said they currently have students placed in Vinton, Barbe, Westlake, Lake Charles College Prep, and Sam Houston for the upcoming school year and would love to place more.
Hosts must be at least 25 years old, able to pass a background check, and provide the student three meals a day and a place to sleep.
She said students don’t have to have their own bedrooms but can share a bedroom with students of the same age and gender.
The willing families also must fill out a form about their interests, which helps narrow down the search.
“It is strange having this person coming from a different side of the world to come and stay with your family. There are some awkward moments in the beginning, but that’s the reason why we try to find those common interests so that you have something to talk about the first few days,” Johnson said.
Welcoming a foreign exchange student to your home could let you experience another culture and make lifelong memories.
Jacquella Manual had a foreign exchange student from Curitiba, Brazil, stay with her back in 1999.
“Probably one of the most rewarding and great experiences that I had,” Manual said. “She was the same age as my child – they both were both seniors in high school. She became my own – to this day, she is in our lives. It wasn’t somebody who went and came and stayed with and disappeared. My daughter was in her wedding, and she was in my daughter’s wedding, so she is part of my family. And she will always be part of my family.”
If you’re interested in the International Student Exchange program, check out
ISEUSA.org
.
