While some students at colleges and universities decide to study abroad or are a part of a college exchange program, the STS Foundation is working to place high school students from different countries in homes across the United States through its nonprofit exchange program.
Hosting duties include providing a bed, a way to and from school and occasional meals, said Cheryl Drozd, a representative from the STS Foundation. The student pays for travel expenses and entertainment, she said.
The students are required to have at least a C grade point average and five to seven years of English, Drozd said.
"(The students) are wonderful role models for children in their (host's) home," she said.
The host family also gets to learn about the culture of the country the exchange student is from, Drozd said.
In exchange, the students living in the host home get to learn about American culture and improve their English speaking skills.
"They get to experience a lot of things we take for granted in America," Drozd said.
Drozd estimated that 50 students in the program go to host families in Nebraska. She said, on average, she will place about 10 students in host families in Nebraska herself.
"A lot of the time, they prefer the Midwest," she said. "They want the change of weather. They want to see snow. They love the open country."
Shaun Penne and his wife, Lori, have hosted several students from the program. This is the first year they will have a student for a full year.
Penne said they had a girl from Austria for five months, a student from Italy for three months and a student from Australia for five months.
"They like to talk about their country, and us showing them new things," he said.
The students are allowed to request particular areas in the United States if they want to, Drozd said.
Families interested in hosting a student can go to the STS Foundation website for general information and contact a representative to get more information and access to profiles of the students.
Penne said he heard about the program from a friend who had hosted a student. The friend referred him and Lori to a representative.
"Right away, they were enthusiastic," he said.
The representatives were helpful and encouraging to the Penne family.
"They did a great job at helping out if there were problems, like getting kids to school or home," he said.
Using technology like Skype, host families can get in touch with their exchange student and get to know them before the student comes to live with them. They can also use Skype to keep in touch after going back to their country.
Penne and his family is already talking back and forth with a student they will host from Norway. Penne and his wife have also communicated with the students they've housed after they went back to their home countries.
"We keep in touch constantly," he said. "So far, it's been a life-long friendship we've had with the students."
Penne encouraged anybody thinking about hosting an exchange student to try it for at least one semester.
"If you like engaging people and are interested in the world, it's a perfect program to do that," he said.
Drozd agreed.
"It's definitely a life-changing experience," she said. "It's a wonderful thing to experience, to have someone from another country come and live with you. It's amazing how close you can get to a person so far away."
kimbuckley@dailynebraskan.com
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