When families decide to host an exchange student, they often think about the impact it will have on the student. But sometimes, the person whose life changes the most is already living at home. Becky, a Community Manager and host mom from Utah, shares how hosting exchange students transformed life for her daughter, Juliette. What began as welcoming a student into their home became something much deeper. Juliette finally had a sister to swap clothes with, giggle late into the night, and share the everyday moments that make sisterhood so special. Read on to discover how their bond stretches across the ocean and continues to grow!
My daughter, Juliette, is the one whose life was impacted most by hosting exchange students. I think sometimes the sibling relationships get forgotten. Juliette was very lonely in high school until Zoe from Spain joined our family during the 2023-24 school year. The two quickly became best friends and were inseparable. We also hosted Fernando from Spain during the 2024-25 school year, and Juliette got equally close to him.
Juliette and Zoe have talked every day since Zoe went home in June of 2024. Juliette says she’s closer to Zoe than her biological sisters, who are nine and seven years older than she is. It was an incredible blessing for Juliette to finally have a sister she could trade clothes with and stay up late giggling and trading boy stories. When Zoe kisses a boy for the first time, Juliette is the first one to find out about it. When Juliette needs a pick-me-up after a breakup, Zoe helps her laugh again.
Juliette travels back to Spain every six months to stay with Zoe and her family, and they love her so intensely she can’t wait to return again. As Juliette built relationships with Zoe’s family, she’s become very close to Zoe’s mom, Nuria, and Zoe’s little sister, Ada. So this past July, Ada came to stay with our family in the United States and experienced Independence Day, rodeos, summer barbecues, and so much more with our family.
At the end of Ada’s stay, Juliette followed Ada back to Barcelona. When her stay in Barcelona was over, Zoe’s family lit a candle and said it would stay lit and continue to burn until she returned. I asked, “How is that possible?” Juliette asked them the same question, and they explained that when the candle burns low, they light a new candle with the old one. That’s love!
Are you interested in making a student like Zoe a part of your family? We are looking for American host families to welcome a student for the upcoming 2026-27 school year. Check out the profiles of our wonderful students. New student profiles go online every Thursday!
