CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Students, families, and faculty members in the Coastal Bend can have a chance to be exposed to different cultures and also make new connections.
A.S.S.E International Student Exchange Program welcomes international students to live with a host family all around the world.
Aibikke Kubanychbakoba is from West Asia, but is now attending George West High School on a one year foreign exchange program.
She calls Kyrgyzstan, a country of about 6.5 million people west of China, her home.
She said the chance to study abroad is the chance of a lifetime.
"It's a great opportunity to get a scholarship and live the whole academic high school in an American high school and make all your dreams come true." Kubanychbakoba said
It's all possible through the A.S.S.E. international student exchange program, hosting students from all around the world.
It gives them the opportunity to visit and learn in a different country. Calay and Erin Jostes are hosting Kubanychbakoba and they said it's been an exciting learning experience.
"It was a different dynamic because we have two boys, and so having a girl in the house was a change for them, a teenage girl, a change for them and a change for us, but it was easy." Jostes said.
Audra Locke is the student exchange program coordinator for Central and South Texas, she wants to see the program grow.
"I would love love love nothing more than to be able to place, two or three students at each high school in Corpus Christi and in the surrounding areas," said Locke.
Host families are required to apply for the program on their website in order to foster an exchange age student for a year.
If you would like to host a foreign exchange student, you must first apply on the A.S.S.E.'s website, enrollment for next year is now open, you can apply here.
Or you can visit their Facebook page.
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