Youth For Understanding USA

Kotone is a 15 year old girl from Japan who says the one word to describe her is "positive". She is generally upbeat and enjoys engaging with people. Kotone loves reading and has volunteered for the school library committee in elementary, junior high and now in high school. An excellent student, teachers describe her as having a desire to improve academically. She always tackles new challenges with enthusiasm, She hopes to pursue a career in teaching. Kotone belongs to the school home economics club which made over 1000 cookies for the school festival. She says her Mother has taught her some favorite Japanese recipes which she hopes to prepare for her host family. She is excited about meeting her host family and looking forward to being an integral part - sharing home activities and attending church with them.

Meet Kuanysh, or Kuka, a 16 year old boy from Kazakhstan. Kuka is a bright, sociable, friendly boy who is looking forward to studying in the USA! At home, Kuka loves to play basketball, chess, read and play the dombra, the national instrument of Kazakhstan. He would like to continue his hobbies but would also love to learn the game of billiards while on exchange. He is also very interested in learning the English language, our culture while sharing some of his with his new family! Kuka would like to say thank and can't wait to be a part of your family, making wonderful memories that will last a lifetime! FLEX Scholarship Student!

Anna, 15, from Germany is a popular, humorous, and easy-going girl who is a true team player, not just in sports, but also in life. She plays basketball, she golfs, rides horses, skis, sails, and works out at the gym. She plays piano and saxophone, and sings solos in a school band. She also is an elected rep in student government and also does other social projects. She's very close to her mother and older brother, and they can communicate or laugh about just about anything. She'll enjoy continuing with a few of these activities, but knows that her versatility will also lead her to something new with you and your family! CBYX SCHOLARSHIP WINNER

Clotilde from France is easy-going, always smiling, and eager to embark on adventures! A very active person, she plays handball, loves animals (especially cats and dogs,) and hanging out with friends. One American activity she is looking forward to is Homecoming, including shopping for an outfit, since she loves fashion and dressing up! Clotilde listens to all kinds of music, even while she cooks, and loves to sing. With her family she plays board games, watches movies or goes for walks, and they all like to travel. With her friends she likes to go shopping, go out to eat, or have sleepovers. Clotilde says she cant wait to meet you!

"Friendships are priceless" to Mara, 16, from Mongolia! This talented and cheerful guy is known as a leader and friend. His sensitive and encouraging nature is celebrated by his many friends who enjoy hanging out together, playing billiards, and other sports. He's an enthusiastic volleyball player and also shoots some hoops! Friends say he's 100% trustworthy and truly a jack of all trades. He enjoys listening to peaceful music. Mara's kind-hearted nature also applies to animals, and he kindly helps stray animals on the streets. So you can imagine how much he'll be loving on your pets! It's time to add this priceless guy to your family!

Fernanda dreams of becoming a physician, more specifically a neurologist, and would like to attend an American or European university to achieve her dream. Strong academic interests in sciences and math have started in on her way. Fernanda comes from a YFU family. With a YFU alumni older sister and an uncle working with YFU Chile, she well understands the benefits and challenges of the exchange experience. Describing her natural family as calm, entertaining, and supportive, Fernanda enjoys family time playing board games, watching movies, working out at the gym, and traveling when time permits. Friends is one of her favorite TV series, and Fernanda loves spending time with her own friends going to the mall, watching comedy movies, or walking to the beach and watching sunsets. At home in the kitchen, she especially loves preparing sweets and will bring a collection of favorite recipes to delight her host familys taste buds. Described by classmates as sweet, kind, and calm, Fernandas ideal host family would include another teenager or two.

Family-oriented Finjas dreams of being a professional athlete or working with athletes. Currently playing on soccer and American football teams, Finjas works out at a gym, runs, and volunteers as junior soccer coach and flag football referee for younger local teams. At least part of Finjass interest in sports comes from his family, which he describes as sporty, outdoorsy, and healthy. Together he and his parents enjoy weekend hikes and runs with their pet Labrador in local forests or meadows. While Finjas loves sports, he also declares his passion for geography and history, crediting it to his parents. Other favorite family activities include cooking and eating together, playing board games, visiting zoos and museums, and visiting grandparents whose stories about family history mean a lot to him. Although eager to try new sports during his exchange year, Finjas also looks forward to becoming an integral part of his host family, making many new friends, and learning all he can about American culture, history, and lifestyle as well as sharing his knowledge of Germany.

Meet friendly easy-going Yosep from Korea. In school, Yosep especially enjoys studying Biology, Chemistry, and Economics. Yosep enjoys listening to Pop music, reading, drawing, painting, playing computer games, photography, watching movies and outdoor activities. Yosep especially enjoys hiking and mountain climbing. Yosep has been described as patient and considerate. Yosep enjoys playing soccer, badminton, and practicing jiu-jitsu. Yosep is looking forward to learning more about the American culture and sharing his Korean culture with his host family. If you enjoy hiking and mountain climbing, Yosep might just be the perfect exchange student for your family.

Meet calm, curious, and open-minded Marie from Denmark. Marie is an animal lover, especially cats. Marie also enjoys playing team sports especially soccer. Marie hopes to play volleyball while on exchange. Marie's friends would describe her as caring and funny. In school, Marie enjoys the logic in math class, English class, and learning about American history. Marie would like to study business and obtain a position in marketing one day. With her family, she enjoys skiing, cooking/baking, playing games with her sisters, and walking with her mom. With her friends, Marie enjoys going shopping at the mall, going to the movies, and playing outdoor sports. Marie enjoys making jewelry in her spare time. Marie is looking forward to coming to the United States to learn about the American culture and to make new friends. Would you be the host family for happy and considerate Marie?

Trini is a happy, social 16 year old girl from Chile. She plays he ukulele and loves to listen to music and dance, especially with her pompon team at school. Spending time with friends and family are important to her. She says her family is very close and she has a close relationship with all of them. They enjoy going to the movies, but especially inviting extended family and friends over for barbecues. A good student, teachers say Trini faces challenges with a mature attitude - and is always ready to help classmates when they need it. Since Trini's father was a YFU exchange student, she has grown up wanting her own exchange experience. She looks forward to meeting her host family and thanks them for "opening the doors of their home to her".

Meet Elisabetta from Italy! She lives with her parents in a small town. An excellent student who is described by her teachers as brilliant with a curious personality. Excited to try new things, she says "Why not!!!!" She is very open to new experiences and wants to discover the real "American Life". She enjoys being around animals and taking care of them and has done horse riding recreationally for the past 9 yrs. She enjoys cooking especially when she is with friends. Like many teenagers, she likes to listen to music (all genres from the 70's to current both Italian and American) and watching movies. Some of her other hobbies are being outside, reading books, shopping, and volunteering. Another reason to go on exchange is her love for traveling. During the week her family lives a quiet life and on weekends they have lunch with her grandparents. In the winter they go skiing and in the summer they hang out at the pool or beach or out on the boat and have lunch. She says she does not watch much sports on TV, but enjoys going to the local games to see her friends play. She enjoys going to the gym to stay fit. She described herself as altruistic and generous to other people, but also knows she can be stubborn, but says this is not always negative. She can't wait to begin her year and see new places and connect with new cultures by visiting a museum or seeing a work of art. Will you help her with this?

Introducing Emma (nickname Emi), a kind and social 16 year old girl from Hungary. Emi's favorite sport is kickboxing, but she also enjoys skiing, snowboarding and cycling. She even spent a few years as a synchronized swimmer! She loves spending time with her family, and they have a movie night at home most weekends. Her friends say that she is a good listener, and get along with anyone. Her teacher says that she's an excellent student, and has very good English language proficiency. Emi looks forward to meeting you and thanks you for welcoming her into your home as the newest family member.

Passionate about soccer, Gregers from Denmark is confident that being a team player will help him win American friends. Decribed as funny and sweet, Gregers says he's always in a good mood and has strong "situational awareness." In addition to interest in many sports, Gregers is also creative and loves to make and edit films, take drawing classes, and produce electronic music, in which he confesses to be something of a perfectionist. After his exchange, he'd like to attend a specialty media high school. But for now, he's very family oriented and hopes to create a forever-relationship with you just as his mother did on her own exchange to the US.

Freja, from Denmark, is a warm, energetic curious girl with many interests. Her favorite subjects in school are math, the sciences, English and geography. She enjoys spending time with friends, creating art, theatre, music and photography. Freja practices yoga and running which keeps her balanced. She hopes to learn how to play baseball while on exchange. Freja has a warm close-knit relationship with her family, and they spend quality time together, sometimes with a movie night, sometimes spending time at the playground with her little sisters. Freja likes to cook, experimenting with ingredients and new techniques. Frejas friends consider her the grandma of the group as she is the logical thinker while being a free spirit. Frejas goal on exchange is to grow as a person, learn about different cultures and develop a clearer perspective. She is thrilled to have this opportunity and cant wait to meet her host family. She will be a wonderful new addition to your family.

Alma is a 16 year old girl from Belgium who says she is a big talker AND a good listener. She also admits she likes clean and neat - and works to keep things that way. Teachers describe her as a hard worker and sensitive to her peers. She enjoys many subjects in school and feels education is very important as she hopes to study medicine and become a surgeon. Family is very important to Alma and she says they try to have dinner together each day. They also enjoy watching movies and playing board games, as well as traveling to visit extended family. Alma has studied ballet and been part of a swim team for several years and hopes to continue these activities while in the US. She is also an avid reader and enjoys watching kdramas. Alma says she loves to eat so she also likes cooking and baking. She is vegetarian but says she does eat dairy products and fish. She is really looking forward to start this new adventure and chapter of her life - to "become a member of her life time second family".

Active, positive, and kind, Edvarts loves sports, especially team volleyball, not just for the fun and the challenge but for how they can enhance his life. Not only can sports help him meet new friends and gain new experiences, he views them as a way of building teamwork, communication, and self-confidence essential to a good life. In addition to competitive sports, Edvarts enjoys recreational sports with friends and family. He plays soccer, basketball, table tennis, and beach volleyball with friends and runs with his dad. Grateful that he has a loving, caring family to return to everyday after school and volleyball practice, Evarts likes teaching his little brother new words or games such as Rock, Paper, Scissors. Although weekdays are busy and routine, he helps out around the house and enjoys watching family shows together and weekend outings to nearby places such as a museum, park, or zoo. Excited to start a new page in his life, Edvarts looks forward to experiencing a different culture and lifestyle as part of his American host family.

Active Andrejs from Latvia loves physical activities. His favorite sport is volleyball and he is hoping to continue playing on a team while on exchange. He also enjoys basketball and soccer as hobbies, in addition to exercising and long walks. Andrejs explains that staying active helps him feel calm and focused, and he would love to find a career that is connected to sports. Family life is important to Andrejs, and he appreciates frequent board game nights and time spent playing games with his little sister. Andrejs also loves a good long walk, whether it be along or with friends. Teachers report that he is a friendly and respectful student that is "kind, outgoing, and open to communication". Positive Andrejs says "currently my life is amazing and I am grateful for it, but I want new experiences!" Will you open your world to Andrejs?

For me, programming is a passion, writes Martha, who at 15 already participates in a local universitys computer club where she teams up with other students to complete programming tasks. With her favorite subject mathematics, Martha is considering a technical career such as software development but keeping her options open for other possibilities such as politics. Curious, open-minded Martha thrives on exchanging views and opinions with others and confesses that she has been labeled an enthusiastic talker. In fact, her favorite activity with friends is talking although their broader activities range from ice skating to karaoke. Martha comes from a close-knit family and has strong bonds with parents, younger sister, and grandparents. Whether spending afternoons in the kitchen cooking together, chatting over a cup of tea, or camping and boating during summer, Martha considers all time with her family well spent. Marthas talkative personality and short-term exchange experience in Japan will help her quickly integrate into her American host family, and she promises to contribute her favorite potato casserole, chocolate-cherry cake, and other German goodies to occasional family meals.