March 2020 was difficult for many of us, but for AYA high school exchange students, Local Coordinators, and host families facing the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was especially challenging. Young people from around the world were suddenly living in U.S. … [Read more...]
Host Family Stories
How Host Families Help Exchange Students Feel at Home
Coming to live in a new country with a new family can feel both scary and exciting for high school exchange students. Often, what defines a successful exchange year depends on whether the student learns to feel at home in the U.S. with their host family. … [Read more...]
You Don’t Need an Extraordinary Life to Be an Extraordinary Host Family
Some people think that hosting a high school exchange student requires an exciting life filled with constant entertainment, elaborate vacations, and a picture-perfect lifestyle. The truth is that exchange students come to the U.S. to experience everyday American life; … [Read more...]
AYA Host Family of the Year: 2026 Winners & Stories
As the 2025 – 2026 academic year comes to a close and exchange students prepare to return to their home countries, AYA is excited to announce the 2026 Host Family of the Year winners. The AYA Host Family of the Year … [Read more...]
“They Treat Me Like Their Own”: How the Hoffmans Made Fateen Feel Like Family
The Hoffman family—the 2026 winners of the AYA Host Family of the Year award—is a stellar example of what it means to dedicate yourself to hosting an exchange student with Academic Year in America. Shortly after their high school exchange student Fateen from Bangladesh … [Read more...]
What Happens When a Host Family Shows Up: The Story of the Starr Family and Greta
Shortly after arriving in Ohio from Germany, Greta faced one of the hardest experiences an exchange student can face—one that she thought was going to cut her exchange year short. Her original placement hadn’t worked out, and for a month she lived with her Local Coordinator, … [Read more...]
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