International Fellowship

06/21/2023

This is a Bear at my office. 😬

08/17/2021

Ever thought of hosting a foreign high school student or helping to secure a host home for a student? International Fellowship, is currently seeking host families for students from Italy, Japan, Mexico, Spain and South Korea for the upcoming school year. At this time if you are unable to host, please feel free to share our information. If we receive interest from someone and they received our information from you - we are offering a stipend for assisting in the successful placement of one of our students with a host family.
Our program has been successfully exchanging students since its start in 1952 by my Grandmother. We are a small, family owned program whose philosophy is "Through Knowledge and Friendship Come Understanding and Goodwill."
www.internationalfellowship.org
1-800-647-8839 (24 Hour Phone Line)
1-800-308-5358
Thank you in advance for your assistance.

International Fellowship offers exchange student opportunities for secondary school students who wish to experience the adventure of living in a foreign land, learning about its people, traditions, and language.

08/11/2021

Bonnie, Debra Dague Fischer, Marilyn van Briggle, And Debra Heiss-Edwards

07/21/2021

Next, are some of our students from Spain. Due to State Department Guidelines, I can not share pictures or detailed personal information until a potential volunteer host family is fully vetted.

Eduardo - He is currently 15 years old and will be entering the 11th grade this year. He enjoys soccer, skiing, winter sports/activities, swimming, archery, canoeing, sailing, playing games, music and spending time with his family and friends. He also enjoys bicycling, hiking, fishing, hunting, movies, drawing/painting, reading, sightseeing and traveling. He describes himself as funny, helpful, kind, generous, caring and active.

Saturnino - He is 15 years old and will be entering the 10th grade. He enjoys soccer, skiing, games, traveling and spending time with family and friends. He is interested in studying Business in college. He also enjoys sightseeing and participating in school activities/clubs. His favorite subjects are Biology, Math, English and French. He describes himself as generous, intelligent and creative.

Gaizka - He is 15 years old and will be entering the 10th grade for this upcoming school year. He enjoys mountain biking, fishing, surfing, cooking/baking, music, photography, games and spending time with family and friends. He is interested in studying Business in College. He also enjoys skiing, snowboarding, soccer, water sports and school clubs. His favorite subjects are Math, Physics, Chemistry and Biology. He is a proactive and friendly person.

Gracia - She is 15 years old and will be entering the 10th grade. She enjoys paddle boarding, swimming, badminton, skating, skiing, painting, designing/drawing houses, camping, jogging and hiking through nature. She wants to study Computer Engineering in College. She also likes sailing/boating, swimming, water sports, music, photography, games, reading, sightseeing, traveling and volunteering. Her favorite subjects are Biology, Music and Art. She describes herself as empathetic, open-minded and friendly.

Elisa - She is 17 and will be entering the 12th grade. She enjoys horseback riding, going to the gym, basketball, dancing, music, drawing and volunteering. She is interested in studying the Real Estate Industry in College. She also likes camping, hiking, ice-skating, skiing, snowboarding, volleyball, crafts, photography, reading, sightseeing and traveling. Her favorite subjects are Math, Biology and History. She describes herself as fun, sociable, positive and active.

Aitana - She is 15 years old and will be entering the 10th grade. She enjoys horseback riding, basketball, going to the gym, skiing, participating in debates, discussing current events and spending time with her family and friends. She would like to study Engineering in College. She also likes bicycling, camping, ice-skating, swimming, tennis, volleyball, water sports, cooking/baking, music, photography, reading, movies, sightseeing and traveling. Her favorite subjects are Biology, Math, Art and PE. She describes herself as funny, helpful and independent.

If you are interested in more information on hosting any of these students from Spain, please contact us at 1-800-308-5358 or 1-800-647-8839 or by email at [email protected]
Thank you!

07/21/2021

Next, is one of our students from South Korea. Due to State Department Guidelines, I can not share pictures or detailed personal information until a potential volunteer host family is fully vetted.

Juhnyeok - He is 15 years old and will be entering the 9th grade for 2021-22. He enjoys computer software, fencing, participating in school clubs, studying Science and spending time with his family and friends. He is interested in becoming a Natural Scientist after he completes high school and college. He also likes badminton, building and construction. His favorite subjects are English and Science. He describes himself as helpful, careful and social.

If you are interested in more information on hosting him, please contact us at 1-800-308-5358 or 1-800-647-8839 or by email at [email protected]
Thank you!

07/21/2021

Next, is another one of our students from Italy. Due to State Department Guidelines, I can not share pictures or detailed personal information until a potential volunteer host family is fully vetted.

Anita - She is 16 years old and will be entering the 12th grade for the upcoming school year. She enjoys slacklining, volleyball, singing, practicing guitar and spending time with her family and friends. She also like skateboarding, cooking/backing, making crafts, music, reading and discussing current events. She describes herself as creative, sociable and open-minded.

If you are interested in more information on hosting her, please contact us at 1-800-308-5358 or 1-800-647-8839 or by email at [email protected]

Thank you!

07/21/2021

Today I would like to feature some of our students available. The next ones will be two of our students from Japan. Due to State Department Guidelines, I can not share pictures or detailed personal information until a potential volunteer host family is fully vetted.

Yo - She will be entering the 11th grade this year. She enjoys hiking, playing badminton, skiing, swimming, reading, participating in school activities, photography and spending time with her family and friends. After she completes high school, she would like to attend College to become a Doctor, like her father. She also enjoys camping, fishing, soccer, cooking, drawing, gardening, crafts, sewing and volunteering. Her favorite subjects are Math, Biology and Art. She is a friendly, social and helpful person.

Hiromu - He will be entering the 10th grade for the upcoming school year. He enjoys Basketball, soccer, swimming, skiing, watching sporting events, listening to music, cooking and dancing. He also likes fishing, hiking, drawing/painting and participating in school clubs and activities. He is a friendly, sociable and hard-working individual.

If you are interested in more information on Yo or Hiromu, please contact us at 1-800-308-5358 or 1-800-647-8839 or by email at [email protected]

Thank you!

07/21/2021

Today I would like to feature some of our students available. The first one will be one of our students from Italy. Due to State Department Guidelines, I can not share pictures or detailed personal information until a potential volunteer host family is fully vetted.

Enrico - He will be entering the 12th grade upon arrival in the US. He enjoys the following --- Basketball, Soccer, Snowboarding, listening to music, discussing current events, spending time with family and friends. In addition, he also enjoys bicycling, skateboarding, cooking/baking, games, photography, movies, sightseeing and traveling. Academically he loves Math, English and PE. He describes himself as open, friendly, smart, motivated and curious to learn new things. His future work interest is Engineering.

If you are interested in more information on Enrico and hosting him, please contact us at 1-800-308-5358 or 1-800-647-8839 or by email at [email protected]

Thank you!

07/21/2021

It's that time of year that we are posting about hosting an exchange student for the upcoming school year. Our student applicants grew tremendously this year - which we are quite thankful for after a very low number of applicants for 2020-2021. Let's help fulfill all of our student's dreams by considering to host one of our students from Italy, Japan, Mexico, Spain and South Korea. If you are not in the position to host at this time, please share our information with family and friends. Please feel free to call us at 1-800-308-5358 or 1-800-647-8839 today for more information on becoming a Volunteer Host Family or a Local Rep who assists with finding families for our high school students. Thank you!

04/06/2020

MONDAY April 6, 2020

As of this morning, 76% of program are permitting foreign high school students to remain in the US with their Host Families. We are all praying that with time, the risk to travel home will begin to lessen. At this time we have received information from a private school that we work with that after some of their other International Students returned home who were on another program - some tested positive for COVID-19 - which they were negative prior to departure from the US.

Please Stay Home. Please follow Local, State and Federal Guidelines. At this time - No Unnecessary Travel. The less travel - hopefully the less spread of the virus.

As Information is updated or changes, we will update our pages and through email.

04/06/2020

COVID-19 - Email Sent to All Host Families, Foreign Reps and US Staff ---

March 2020

Dear Local Representatives, Families, Directors and Friends:

All of us are aware of Covid-19. We are hearing daily how it is affecting people here in the United States and around the world. We are all “in the same boat” as they say; hoping and praying for some good news, relief, and an end to this virus very soon. We have been told of the precautions and how to protect ourselves the best we can. All of us want to get back to normal.

Currently, International Fellowship has no plans of disrupting our students and host families. Most of our families, natural and host, have expressed that they do not want their student to return before the scheduled return dates which in most cases occurs in two to three months from now. So far, everyone has been receptive to following the advice given by the CDC and their state and local community personnel regarding the virus and activities (school, social, etc.). Still, so much is not known and we have to be vigilant as we move forward. If a parent or student decides to return early, it would be at the natural parent/guardian’s responsibility and expense.

The following was received from CSIET this morning:

“Finally, in an impromptu phone call with J-1 programs, hosted by the Alliance yesterday afternoon, the majority of J-1 high school programs reported that they have adopted a hybrid approach to the question of whether to repatriate their J-1 students. That is, more programs than not have decided to allow their students to remain in the US and continue the year, allowing natural parents to retire their children from the program if they choose. Still, some programs are shortening program duration and others are recommending that students go home immediately. Needless to say, the response has been varied and programs need to consider their own circumstances when weighing decisions.”

We also do not want to forget our prospective and future students desiring to come to the United States in August and September which is five plus months away. We want to continue to encourage our foreign partners to send applications with the hope and belief that the virus will be gone and life has returned to normal.

We need to be prepared when, and hopefully very soon, the virus is no longer a threat or concern, and we will be able to return to regular routines. For this reason, and that there are approximately five months before traveling to the U. S., we are encouraging all parties to be ready to move forward by continuing to promote our program and submitting applications. As for the receiving end in our office, we are ready to promptly and appropriately place the students.

International Fellowship has been operating for more than 60 years and this has been a different situation to say the least. We are very thankful to our students, families, both host and natural, and associates who have been helpful and understanding during this period. Thank you all for your support. There have been many examples of our strength and resilience that we, as Americans, have shown especially in these last few weeks.

We extend our sincere appreciation and gratitude to all of you.

Sincerely,

Norman Zent
President