FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) — A high school foreign exchange student program is looking for host families in Indiana. The Program of Academic Ex
FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) — A high school foreign exchange student program is looking for host families in Indiana.
The Program of Academic Exchange (PAX) connects hundreds of exchange students to host families around the country each year, but local coordinator Sheri Jackson tells WANE 15’s Britt Salay that in order to do that, they need Hoosier families to step up.
“It just opened your eyes to so many different things that you would have never seen before, like certain things you learn about different countries that you would have never known had you not hosted this student,” said Jackson. “The more families we get, the more kids we get home, these kids are so excited to come here and do this.”
Jackson said the program benefits host families and school districts by exposing them to different cultures.
“In the school, our teacher, for example, I speak Spanish, so sometimes I go to Spanish class with the teacher and help them,” said Sofia Barrena, 15, of Spain. “I did a presentation with my country and my language. So yeah, a lot of people ask us because they are curious about us and our country.”
“Personally, I love to share with people,” said Chong Yoong Wen, 17, of Malaysia. “One day I wore a Chinese suit to a basketball game and everyone was like complimenting me and asking me about it. I just love sharing my culture, which sounds really cliché, but it’s really fun.”
The exchange students are interested in studying in America for many reasons. Some would like to improve their English-speaking and skills, while others are looking to experience a culture different from their own.
“I wanted to go to New Zealand, but because of COVID, I couldn’t go there,” said Lisa Beckmann, 15, of Germany. “I’m here in Indiana now, and I wanted to improve my English and meet new people and I really like traveling and seeing new places.”
“For me, it was always clear to go to America,” added Anna Imholt, 16, also of Germany. “I think my parents kind of raised us to like to learn different cultures and stuff and since I was in elementary school I said I want to go to America.”
For many of the students, studying abroad is their first taste of American culture beyond what they see in movies and TV shows.
“Personally, I love it,” Chong Yoong Wen said. “It’s as like most people in Malaysia we have like the expectation like from the movies, and honestly, it’s like pretty similar. It’s just awesome because in Malaysia is much less hands-on work, but here, teachers like to discuss with students more and we have a lot more subject choices here.”
To become a host family, everyone over the age of 18 in your household must go through a background check as a part of an extensive application. As a part of that process, prospective host families are asked to write a letter to the potential student and go through a home inspection and interview. Jackson said they are as thorough as possible because host families are caring for someone’s child and they want to make sure everyone has the safest experience possible.
Although it is a lot, she said it can be a rewarding experience.
“My girl from Estonia so calls me mom to this day,” Jackson said. “If she needs anything, she calls me for advice, we call and talk. Some of these kids have been dreaming to come here for years or their whole life, and so we try to make that dream come true for them.”
“[Our host family has] Three small kids, so even if they are kids we are double placement so we can still spend time with a teenager so that helps a lot,” said Sofia Principi, 17, of Italy. “We can like learn we learn a lot from the kids too.”
The program works with students from over 70 countries including Ukraine. As the situation between Russia and Ukraine unfolds, Jackson said all they can do is be there for their Ukrainian students.
“We have past students that are in Ukraine,” said Jackson. “Right now we have some that are safe. I currently know of one that is in their basement right now. So the best that we could do at this point, is give them the best support and love and support that we possibly can and we’ll see what happens in the future.”
To learn more about PAX, visit their website.
www.wane.com