Dan and Diane, who live in upstate New York, are world travelers who really enjoy learning about other cultures. They hosted a daughter, Nat, from Thailand, followed by a son, Yang from China. Of his experience in America, Yang said:

"...there is no good or bad between cultures. They are just different. When we grow up, we will be the builders of our own nations. If we have known this idea, we will understand each other much better so that we can avoid some arguments in the future. Isn't that good?"

As the editor of a newspaper, Dan chose to write about his hosting experiences in this very touching article ‘A Son Who Left Us Too Soon.' We hope you will take the time to read it. "It's not about "teaching people about America" or even "learning other cultures," Dan wrote. "It's about people from opposite sides of the world, people with different languages, political systems and religious beliefs, discovering in very personal ways that those things don't matter much. We're all just people.” Read Article...

We're providing biographies of AFS exchange students so that you can envision what it would be like to share your day-to-day life with a new family member. Below are examples of students who will be participating with AFS.

Once you begin the hosting interest form, we will connect you with a local volunteer to discuss specific students in your area.

Gloria from Switzerland
Gloria takes piano lessons regularly. She loves horseback riding and she plays volleyball with her sisters when she has some free time. She doesn't like to cook, because the results are never that great! Her favorite subject in school is history. Gloria is friendly and respectful. She's protective of her family because of the special bond they have. She's outspoken and at school she's the class representative. Her teacher says, "She's loyal, open-minded, and enthusiastic". Gloria has traveled extensively. Her sister was an exchange student in Wisconsin in 2004. In the future she plans to become an air traffic controller and work at the Zurich airport.

Hanlin from China
Hanlin enjoys playing basketball with his friends and playing table tennis. He has been playing the flute for two years and he practices every week. In the past he's worked as a reporter for the China Teenager's Paper and enjoyed that inquisitive work. Hanlin is an independent person who can look after himself. At home he's very cooperative, easy-going, and responsible. At school he's a hardworking and humorous student. He enjoys communicating with others and learning from more knowledgeable people. Hanlin has lived in a household with people from different backgrounds and he's used to living away from home. He's thought about his future and after his experience with AFS he'd like to attend college. When he's older, Hanlin would like to become a diplomat and live abroad.