Lasha, a former AYA exchange student from the Republic of Georgia, is now working to send Georgian students to the United States. He participated in Academic Year in America when he was 15 years old as a high school exchange student. Lasha shared with us his gratitude for the … [Read more...]
YES Student of the Month: Bilal from Pakistan
Each month the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) selects a YES (Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study) student of the month. Academic Year in America has been sponsoring students through the YES program for over 10 years and is very … [Read more...]
AYA Equals Opportunity: A Student Story
The Thompson family is from Pennsylvania and a first year AYA host family. Last year they gave their family the opportunity to become acquainted with another country and culture by hosting a young man from Hungary. They thought there was no better way then welcoming a student for … [Read more...]
A Journey of Two Host Sisters: Lea & Giulia’s Story
Lea from Germany and Giulia from Italy are two international students who spent their academic year in the Pacific Northwest with the Heath family along with their two dogs and two cats. Needless to say it was a full house for these two host sisters. Lea and Giulia shared with us … [Read more...]
Host Family of the Year 2015!
Each year Academic Year in America asks students and Local Coordinators across the U.S. to nominate host families for AYA's Host Family of the Year. We ask them to nominate their family based on hospitality, caring, dedication to cultural exchange, and overall willingness to … [Read more...]
Hosting with AYA: Through the Eyes of a Local Coordinator
Regenia is a Local Coordinator and host mom with AYA. She has been a part of the program and advocate since 2012. As a Local Coordinator she is always finding new ways to share with her community the benefits of bringing the world together through hosting an international … [Read more...]