The Global Link - Online Newsletter for Foreign Exchange Students and Host Families

If you are excited about what you have learned in the AYA newsletter, please share it with your friends. Some of the most successful exchanges occur when friends and neighbors host students simultaneously! It gives the chance to share experiences and allows you to learn about a variety of cultures. If anyone you know might be interested, please forward us their name and e-mail address so we can put them on our e-mail list. Write to Stella Jacaruso at sjacaruso@aifs.org to subscribe.

OTHER AIFS PROGRAMS

Academic Year in America is part of the American Institute for Foreign Study (AIFS) Foundation. AIFS Inc includes other programs for cultural exchange as well. The Au Pair in America program enables American families to host international young people, who assist with childcare and share their culture. Our College Division organizes study abroad for U.S. students at 18 campuses abroad including Richmond, the American International University in London. Study/travel programs for high school students are offered through Summer Advantage. The Summer Institute for the Gifted (SIG) offers three-week summer residential and day programs on college campuses for academically talented students in grades K through 11. Camp America and Resort America bring young international visitors to the U.S. to serve as camp counselors and support staff during the summer.

Host a January Student!

January Semester students are now available!

AYA is looking for warm, caring host families for the many students arriving this January for the spring semester. Profiles of these students are viewable online at www.academicyear.org/stu_profiles.asp. Call AYA today to get started finding the perfect exchange student for you and your family.

Keep in mind that with our Cultural Activity Fund (CAF), hosting is a little easier for your family. Tax credits for hosting, AYA travel vouchers, and our dedicated staff are just a few more reasons to open your home to an AYA foreign exchange student.

Call (800) 322-4678 ext. 5164 or email sjacaruso@aifs.org today to find out more about hosting, or visit www.academicyear.org.

Student Profiles

Inka from Germany
ICX966

Inka is a friendly, open-minded girl who is interested in getting to know the American culture.
Two of the most important things in her life are music and art. She is creative and enjoys listening to music, reading books, and drawing.
In her free time, she likes meeting with her friends, going to concerts, dancing to her favorite music, singing, laughing, and swimming.
She loves animals and has three guinea pigs and also a 50-year-old turtle called "Pat.”
Inka possesses the maturity and academic motivation to live and study abroad and is able to cope with new or difficult situations on her own.

Hyeok Gyu from Korea
HAN902

Hyeok Gyu is upbeat, positive and curious about intercultural issues.
He has been president and vice-president of his class.
His English skills are at an intermediate level and he enjoys reading American novels, science books, and newspapers to learn more about cultures and societies.
His hobbies are taekwondo, playing the piano, tennis, and reading travel books.
He likes studying animals and plants, and his dream is to become an ecologist.
He is very happy to have the opportunity to visit the U.S. and experience the American culture, and he will do his best to adapt to his new environment.

Visit http://www.academicyear.org/stu_profiles.asp to view more profiles.

Contact Stella Jacaruso at (800) 322-4678 ext 5164 or sjacaruso@aifs.org to find out how you and your family can host any of the wonderful students coming to America!

Become a Local Coordinator

Local Coordinators (LCs) are actively involved in making the international exchange a wonderful experience for the exchange students and host families. Now is a great time of year to get involved!

As an LC, you will work with teenagers from overseas, supervising what will be the most memorable year of their lives. You will have a hand in bringing the world together in your very own community!

AYA rewards Local Coordinators for the number of placements they make over the course of a year. As a first year LC, with just four placements you could be eligible to travel to next year’s national meeting (the location will be announced in December). This year's LCs will soon be heading to the 2008 National Meeting in Cancun, Mexico!

Find out how you can change the world with us! Contact Stella Jacaruso at (800) 322-4678 ext 5164 or sjacaruso@aifs.org.

Learn more about the role of Local Coordinators: www.academicyear.org/lc.asp

To download the LC application, click here: www.academicyear.org/lc_application.asp

AYA Student Receives Music Scholarship

AYA student wins music scholarship Helen, an AYA student from Korea who lives with a host family in Missouri, recently received a scholarship from the Flint School of Performing Arts. Helen is an accomplished violinist and often plays the violin at her local church.

AYA in the News

Winter Haven High School in Winter Haven, Florida, is currently the host of 11 AYA students! In an article in NewsChief.com, Local Coordinator Deborah Hardee talks about hosting and placing her students:

"This is my third year involved with the program and my second year as a coordinator," Hardee said. "I started by hosting a student, and it was just a wonderful experience. As the coordinator, I have had the opportunity to be involved with so many of these students. I've probably placed 70 kids since I started two years ago. It's just great."

Read more: NewsChief article