Exchange Student Archives

Emma’s Journey from Germany to the Grand Canyon

November 10, 2017 AYA Leave a Comment

Emma from Germany is spending her exchange year in Arizona and, as such, only had one place she wanted to check off her travel bucket list while in the state: the Grand Canyon! Check out her reflection on the experience: Shortly after my arrival in Arizona, my host grandma … [Read more...]

AYA Host Dad Reflects on Hosting Exchange Students

October 30, 2017 AYA Leave a Comment

Volunteering to serve food at a homeless shelter Sometimes life comes at you fast. It's often the things we take a chance on that change our lives the most. Byron and his partner never anticipated hosting an exchange student, but taking a leap of faith and going for it has … [Read more...]

AYA Students Honor Host Fathers and Show Appreciation

June 16, 2017 AYA Leave a Comment

Father's Day is a special time to show our appreciation and celebrate all the fathers, host fathers and father figures out there that work so hard to bring joy to all those around them. In honor of dads everywhere, we’re thrilled to share these stories from AYA students that who … [Read more...]

AYA Students Celebrate Host Moms, Share Memories and Give Thanks

May 12, 2017 AYA 1 Comment

Mother's Day is a special day to show our gratitude and celebrate all the mothers, host moms and mother figures out there that do so much to bring happiness to everyone else. In honor of mother's everywhere, we're delighted to share the following submissions from AYA students … [Read more...]

10 Reasons to Host an Exchange Student

May 5, 2017 AYA 5 Comments

The following list of ten reasons to host an exchange student was written by Regenia, an AYA Local Coordinator with lots of experience exploring life in these United States through student exchange. From roots in Ohio, the branches of Regenia's family now extend around the … [Read more...]

Lessons to Learn from a Recent Exchange Student

April 11, 2017 AYA 1 Comment

Felix F. was an AYA exchange student from Germany. He lived in Texas for a semester in the 2011-12 school year. Felix is now a college student back in Germany, and he took the time to share the following about his experience in the United States as a 15-year-old high school … [Read more...]