Recently, we caught up with Melanie, the Director of Academic Year in America (AYA) as her exchange student Marvin from 6 years ago was visiting her and her family in Connecticut! She even brought him to our national office to meet the AYA team! We all enjoyed meeting Marvin and hearing about his exchange experience in New England!
We wrapped up this heart-to-heart visit with a quick Q&A with Melanie and her personal hosting experience. We thought all of you might enjoy it as well!
What is your role and how long have you been with AYA?
I am the Executive Director of the AIFS Foundation and the Director of the Academic Year in America program. I have been a part of AYA for 14 years, and a part of the AIFS family for 27 years. Working to promote international exchange is my passion. I was an exchange student in high school and the experience changed my life. I feel so fortunate to have the opportunity to help others and have this exceptional experience be such a huge part of my life.
Have you ever hosted an AYA exchange student?
My family has hosted one student from Germany and we loved the experience. Our student, Marvin, became a member of the family and we really enjoyed seeing him grow and mature. He is a great young man and we are always proud to hear of his accomplishments. We stay in close touch and we have managed to see each other once a year since he left!
What motivated you to host a student?
We have always wanted to host a student and finally in 2009, the time was right, we had the extra room and wanted to share our family and traditions with someone and to have a high schooler in the house again! One of the great things about hosting is that it motivates you to do more as a family – going to a fall festival or taking a trip to a local point of interest – things we probably would not have done and were really fun for all of us.
What is most rewarding about hosting an exchange student?
There were many rewarding moments with hosting! These moments included watching Marvin mature, become more independent, make friends and learn to ride our horses! Riding became a really special part of the experience for him, and now, when he comes home to visit, one of his favorite things to do is to reconnect with his favorite horse and take a ride.
Would you recommend hosting to other families? If yes, why?
I would definitely recommend hosting – it’s a wonderful experience, there are always ups and downs, but overall you know that you have helped someone have a life-changing experience and that you have made a difference in the world. With AYA you can choose the student who best fits your family. In our case, we looked for someone who loves dogs (we have 2) and who likes to volunteer, as we appreciate that quality in a person, and someone who has siblings so that they would fit into our home. We got a great German son, who embraced the experience and our family and will always be a member of the family.
Thank you Melanie for sharing with your hosting story! If you’re an AYA host family and would like to share your personal AYA hosting story, please email us at ayablog@aifs.org. If you’re curious about hosting and have not done it before, learn more about the AYA program on our website, here.
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