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. communities and homes during a global crisis, and at first, no one knew whether they would be required to stay and quarantine or return home early—or whether they could do so safely.
Many of these exchange students had been with their host families for months and were looking forward to completing their exchange year—not ending it prematurely. While their program was eventually cut short, Regenia (an AYA Local Coordinator and host mom in Ohio at the time) stayed in touch with several of her students and later discovered that even an interrupted exchange year had left a profound and lasting impact on their lives.
Hear from Regenia as she reflects on the lasting and unexpected impact of an AYA exchange year during COVID:
“It was March 12th, 2020. I was dropping off 15-year-old Marlen from Kyrgyzstan at his host Mom’s house after a community volunteer event.
I sighed when I answered him, trying to dismiss my concerns about a global virus threat. With a hopeful smile, I said, “I don’t know Marlen… Maybe after spring break we can plan something.”
He jumped out of the car and waved from his front door before I drove off. That was the last time I would see Marlen in person. On March 13th, the State of Ohio declared a State of Emergency. Schools with scheduled spring breaks announced they would start early and extend for two weeks while we all waited to see if the new global virus would run its course.
As a Local Coordinator for AYA, I reached out to my host families and students to share what I knew and what I didn’t. I reassured them we should not panic or anticipate the worst. AYA would let us know what we should do next. As we waited to learn the fate of the exchange program, some host parents talked with the natural parents of their exchange students to try to make sense of what was happening globally.
We were all worried, felt completely unprepared for such dramatic circumstances, and yet, genuinely comforted by the small global community we had created.
Sixteen-year-old Leenah, from Libya, my family’s exchange student; our two teenage kids, Aidan and Sierra; and another student, Mary from Armenia, who was temporarily staying with us while in the process of changing host families, were suddenly home all the time. School and activities were canceled, and I knew I needed a plan to quell the storm of uncertainty surrounding us. With everyone suddenly home, I encouraged host families to create activities that would help students stay connected and engaged while we waited for news.
A week later, we learned that under the direction of the Department of State, AYA would end the exchange year prematurely and all students would return to their home countries as soon as flights could be arranged. The announcement was heartbreaking, but necessary, as we all began to comprehend that this global virus was not going away any time soon.
I scheduled a virtual meeting with the students to check in. Then, we began to make arrangements for students to return home. Flights were scheduled, canceled, and rescheduled as we learned of international borders closing, mandatory testing for COVID that may or may not be available, and experienced the worst ending of an exchange year one could ever imagine.
As return flights became a reality, I scheduled Zoom goodbye calls so we could have some sense of closure. No one wanted to say goodbye.
Leenah ended up getting stuck at our house until late July. Travel to Libya from the USA during a global pandemic was more complicated than most global leaders could figure out. Leenah and another Libyan student came up with a plan to fly to Egypt, where the other girl’s father would pick them up and drive them home. While there were some last-minute surprises, the assistance of many people across several countries allowed them to make it home to their parents safely.
The next school year, exchange programs were, for the most part, virtual. Our family “hosted” Daniel from Lebanon, who would later bump into Leenah at college at the American University of Lebanon and connect with her there.
Even virtually, AYA and cultural exchange programs brought the world together and enriched the lives of students and families around the world.
This past June (2026), the former host family of Susanna from Germany invited me to a double graduation. Their son was graduating from high school and their daughter from college. This family hosted two other students after the ill-fated COVID year with Susanna, so we had stayed in touch during the past six years. They told me Susanna and her boyfriend were going to try to visit too, so the party would be a big celebration for many reasons.
I arrived at the party and found Susanna playing corn hole with a small group. When our eyes met, she shared a huge smile, and we hugged. She introduced me to her boyfriend, and we quickly started reminiscing about the 2019 – 2020 school year when she was a high school junior studying abroad. She assured me her family in Germany was well and said she had graduated from college just the year before.
She told me she worked in humanitarian aid for Germany’s foreign affairs office and that she had started studying Arabic. I nodded in understanding and asked her how that was going for her. She said, “Oh, it’s hard, but do you know why I chose Arabic?” I didn’t. “It’s because of Leenah! I was always so impressed at how good her English was, and I thought it was really remarkable because the alphabet, everything is so different. And anyway, I thought if Leenah can do that, I can too! So, I have been working on Arabic, and I am even more impressed with Leenah.”
She said that eventually she would like to take on an ambassador role and that she was even interested in working in Kyrgyzstan because of her friendship with Marlen.
As a host mom and Local Coordinator, I don’t often get to hear so clearly how influential a student’s exchange year experience can be. Susanna was not lamenting over a canceled dream due to COVID but remembering fondly how much she gained from her experience.
I asked her if she had kept in touch with the other kids, and we compared notes on the other exchange students. I told her Leenah was finishing up her degree in Business Marketing, Marlen had graduated from college and was working in business but had just announced on LinkedIn that he would pursue his master’s degree the coming school year. She told me that a fellow German exchange student had gotten married, which jarred my memory that Mary from Armenia had just had a baby! As we mentioned each student, I remembered their young faces and marveled at how many changes could occur in just 6 years.
The day after the party, I was still thinking of my little reunion with Susanna.
It occurred to me that none of us in 2020, neither the host families nor the students, realized the impact that year would have on our lives.
Rarely do we get to see the fruit of our labors so easily. It’s a commitment to host an international teenager in your house, to give them rides to activities, make them meals, teach them how the house appliances work, and show them all the local area and your family traditions can offer them. Some days feel long, and you may occasionally wonder, “Is this worth it?” What I realized during my conversation with Susanna, as I have many times before, is that it is definitely worth it!
I can’t think of any other pursuit in life that allows you to have this kind of impact on someone else or that will transform your own personal growth.
That crazy year of volunteering in the community, attending school football games, joining clubs, getting together with other exchange students to visit local sites of interest, restaurants, and just hanging out with friends, allowed Susanna to not only learn about American culture and share her German culture, but also get to know students just like her from places most Germans don’t visit.
These connections, these friendships, cemented in her a desire to study politics and law, built a confidence to pursue a job in foreign affairs, and stimulated a life-long desire to study languages and get to know people and cultures different than her own.
Her life’s work was greatly influenced by the host family and exchange students she met when she was 16 years old.
Do you want to change the future? Do you want to bring the world together? These may sound like lofty goals, but you can do this from the comfort of your own home and neighborhood when you host an exchange student with AYA. Truly. The little moments of life, the conversations over dinner or even the small reunions at a graduation party will remind you of your investment in a young person’s future. There is no greater privilege.”
Want to make an impact on a young person’s life like Regenia did? Host an exchange student with AYA and make a real difference!
Regenia’s story demonstrates the simple and undeniable power of hosting an exchange student. Even under the most challenging circumstances, the benefits of cultural exchange shine through, shaping students’ lives long after the program ends.
Because a host family went out of their way to host students like Susanna and Marlen, their lives were changed for the better. They had cultural experiences and made connections they never would have otherwise.
Every year, hundreds of U.S. families choose to host a high school exchange student with AYA and make a real impact on a young person’s life. We invite you to do the same!
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