EF High School Exchange Year

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EF High School Exchange Year

Open Your Family. Open Your World. EF is the leader in high school exchange.

04/22/2026

STUDENT ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT

Hi, my name is William and I spent my exchange year in Texas. There is not one day where I don't think about my exchange year.

Embarking on exchange might have been one of the scariest but best decisions I ever made. Before my exchange year, I was scared — scared of leaving everything I ever knew behind and starting all over. However, the moment I went through security at my home airport with the other exchange students, I knew: "this is the right decision." Flying across the earth at 16 with people I had met just 20 minutes before was an incredibly independent feeling, a feeling of freedom I had never felt before in my life. It was still scary, don't get me wrong, but refreshing in ways I hadn't thought were possible.

And then came Welcome Days — meeting people from all over the world and connecting on a global scale. Welcome Days was the start of something I had no clue would change my life forever. Next came meeting my host family. This was the hardest part; it's not every day you move in with a family you have only seen online five times. I will admit that tears were flowing. But it turned out we were the best match. We clicked after just a couple of days, as if we had known each other for decades. My host family made me grow. I truly felt like I was in an environment where I could be myself, and I believe I was genuinely happy.

This continued through the first ten days before school started, and then I met my amazing friends — the ones who truly got me as a person. We had so much fun going on adventures to Goodwill and Dairy Queen. To fast forward a bit: the end of my exchange year arrived, and it was the hardest part of my life. I still remember it clearly. My friends and I were out at a park for one last hangout, and when we got back to my house, I could hear them calling for me not to leave as I shut the door. My host dad was standing in the kitchen — I ran over and hugged him, still crying my eyes out. Leaving the rest of my host family wasn't any easier.

The moral of the story is: you never know what's waiting on the other side. For me, it was the world - where I truly belonged and felt happy.

04/14/2026

You didn't know it was a holiday but your student did.

That's hosting. An exchange student comes into your home and suddenly your calendar has holidays on it you've never heard of.

Have you celebrated a new holiday because of your exchange student?

04/12/2026

Some families host once and think, "That was really special."

Then they do it again.

Alison De Paola's family welcomed exchange student number five this year - Remi, from France. He was "gravely disappointed" in what Americans call French bread but quickly showed them what French cooking is all about, making them authentic Quiche Lorraine and Peach Clafoutis. So. He's settling in fine.

Five students. Five countries. Five families across the world who now have a place at the De Paola table.

What's one moment from hosting that you still think about?

04/10/2026

HAPPY NATIONAL SIBLINGS DAY!

"I caught them in the kitchen at 11:00 PM making a snack and just talking about their lives. My kids weren't on their phones; they were actually connecting with another human being from across the ocean."

From strangers to siblings in no time at all. Here's to Host siblings who don't get enough credit. They share their rooms, their parents, their routines with someone from another country.

Host siblings - what's a moment you'll never forget?

04/06/2026

Exchange students don't just live with a family. Suddenly three siblings become five and a high school in Alabama has a little bit more of the world in it. That didn't come from nowhere.

When Ashley opened her home to students from Norway and Taiwan, something happened at her Alabama high school that she didn't quite expect - their classrooms got bigger. Teachers noticed. So did the other kids.

That's what hosting does. It starts at your kitchen table and quietly works its way into something much larger.

Curious what that could look like for your family, your school, your town?
host.efexchangeyear.org/lp/host-with-ef/

04/04/2026

Host families: what's something your exchange student showed you that you never would have found on your own?

A food, a song, some random thing you now can't stop doing?

Drop it in the comments.

04/02/2026

When Kelli's exchange student from Italy arrived, one of the first people to greet her was Kelli's 96-year-old Korean War veteran, Mr Joe. Who also happens to be Italian.

He walked up, speaking Italian.

You don't plan moments like that. You just leave room for them.

https://host.efexchangeyear.org/lp/host-an-exchange-student/

03/29/2026

Host families are mentors, community ambassadors, and cultural connectors — often all at once. They don't just show a student around. They show them what it means to belong somewhere new.

Know someone who should host? Tag them. 👇

03/28/2026

Some people host because they're curious about the world.

Some because they want their kids to grow up knowing it. Some because their own family came from somewhere else, and they remember what it meant to feel welcomed.

All of them will tell you it was one of the best decisions they ever made.

Learn more about hosting https://host.efexchangeyear.org/lp/host-an-exchange-student/

03/23/2026

🏁 Any NASCAR fans out there?

Host dad Brian works in the automotive industry — and that connection opened an incredible door. In February, he took exchange students Rafa and Antonio, along with his own son, to "The Great American Race" — the Daytona 500 — one of the most iconic bucket-list events in American motorsports.

The experience was anything but ordinary. They explored the Fan Zone, walked the pits and garages and watched the race from an infield suite. Along the way, they had the chance to meet some recognizable faces — including Michael Jordan, Marshawn Lynch and Fox NASCAR reporter Jamie Little.

And that was just race day. On Friday night, they visited Victory Lane and got to meet Chandler Smith of Front Row Motorsports, fresh off his win in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Race.

Before any of it happened, Brian did things the right way — getting proper approvals from EF and the students' parents. That's what great host families do: they open doors and follow the rules.

Exchange looks different for every student and host family. For Brian, Rafa and Antonio, it looked like the Daytona 500. What could yours look like?

Curious about hosting? Send us a message.

03/10/2026

For the Roose family, hosting an exchange student wasn't just about a spare bedroom—it was about expanding their world. "From the moment we picked her up at the airport, it just felt right," they shared.

What started as a school year hosting Isabel from Spain blossomed into a lifelong bond. Last summer, that connection came full circle when their Spanish "daughter" returned to visit, this time bringing her entire family along! It was a heartwarming reunion as the Rooses introduced her loved ones to their home, community, and favorite local spots.

As the Roose family puts it: "We are now connected to a family in Spain forever." ❤️🌍

Address

1 Education Street
Cambridge, MA
02141

Telephone

+18004474273

Website

http://www.efexchangeyear.org/

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