Academic Year in America is looking for Wailuku-area families to host exchange students in their home for 4 to 6 weeks.
The program matches hosting families with high school students ages 15 to 18 from more than 30 countries, including Germany, China, Brazil and Italy.
Host families must provide their student with two meals a day and a place to sleep and study. To help facilitate the exchange experience, host families will receive full support from an AYA local coordinator located in their community.
Bringing an international student into your home is an excellent way to give your family a "world view" of a different culture, according to host dad Tim McMahon, whose family has hosted five AYA students.
"The result is that my children have made friends and traveled around the globe," McMahon said. "My children have visited several of our students on their own and have made extremely close and personal friendships. In fact, our entire family has visited the families of two of our exchange students and developed close friendships between the families."
AYA is a not-for-profit organization designated by the U.S. Department of State to offer J-1 visas to international students.
To learn more about hosting an exchange student with AYA, call Stella at (800) 322-4678, ext. 5164, email aya.info@aifs.org or visit www.academicyear.org.
