SAN ANGELO, TX - A couple of decades ago, it wasn't unusual to hear of an American family boarding a foreign exchange student for a few months. Not only was it a memorable experience for the student enjoying the many freedoms of our country, but it was also a great way for an American family to learn about other cultures.
For those people who wonder how to could get involved in such a program, but may not be sure how to get started or where to go, San Angelo happens to have a local representative to walk them through the process step by step.
Founded in 1985, the Aspect Foundation started as a small non-profit organization offering affordable study abroad opportunities to students from around the world.
San Angeloan Brittany Romero is an International Coordinator for the AF and gave some of the highlights on what is involved for anyone considering becoming a host family.
Romero said, "The Aspect Foundation works with foreign exchange students from all over the world including Thailand, Finland and Africa. The students' ages are 15-18 years old, and they come for as short as a semester or the whole year of school. Prior to being considered for the program, the students must pass an English proficiency test to alleviate the language barrier and they also would have completed a year or so of American History studies."
She added, "It's great for both the student and host family to learn a little bit about each other's countries, cultures and diversity. The kids come to learn about our way of life so the host families are not required to go out of their way to do different things; they can continue with their normal routines."
For anyone interested in participating in the program, Romero said, "The first step is to go on the website, fill out the information, including the background check, and, after that, we start the application process to find a kid whom would be a perfect fit for the family. We focus on those with the same types of interests and hobbies, making it comfortable for both parties."
As for feedback on what these students seem to enjoy most about the U.S., Romero said the kids liked the sports and the holidays.
"In a lot of different countries, they don't celebrate like we do in America. Christmas and Halloween are two of the favorites. They enjoyed trick-or-treating and wearing costumes, especially," she noted.
The students also enjoy making long lasting friends, which is a huge benefit in this exchange program.
Romero's interest in the program sparked years ago, but she has only been working with this organization for a few months.
She said, "Our main office is in San Francisco, California but there are international organizers all over the world. I have two people under me, one in Houston and one in Dallas, to help me with paperwork or whatever else I may need."
She mentioned she has a daughter who is 10 and loves everything about Hong Kong, so maybe one day she can travel through this program.
"I love learning about different countries and cultures," Romero mentioned. "I'm hoping to start nursing school soon and then one day will be working in Africa as a nurse."
As for those who have never done anything like this before, she wanted to reassure potential host families she will be there for them throughout the entire process and during the student's stay.
"Once a month I visit with the student and family, and once a semester will do something with the family being interactive ensuring all is well; we want all to have a good experience," Romero said.
Romero primarily works with kids coming to America, but said the Aspect Foundation does work with American students who want to travel abroad in an exchange student capacity.
She concluded, "If an American family hosts a foreign exchange student first and then one of their children wants to do the same, they get a huge discount, and churches and other non profit donations can get a discount for referrals too."
The students won't arrive until August when school starts, but March is just right around the corner, so for those people interested, now is the time to start researching.
For more information, please feel free to check out the website Aspectfoundation.org and contact Brittany at 432-741-5927, or at [email protected].
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