For Lisa and her family, opening their home to exchange students has always been about welcoming others and learning from the people they meet along the way. After years of fostering, Lisa and her husband, Carlos, knew they wanted to continue making room for new connections. During the 2025-26 school year, their family welcomed two exchange students, Max from Germany and Domingos from Mozambique, into their home. By welcoming two teenage boys from opposite sides of the world, Lisa’s family gained new perspectives, new experiences, and two students who quickly became part of their family.
What motivated your family to host an exchange student, and what made you decide to welcome both Max and Domingos into your home?
I was a foster mom for about 10 years, and we also tried billeting hockey players in our home. When I finished fostering, I always wanted to host an exchange student. A couple of years ago, I saw a post on Facebook about a male student who had been approved for our local high school, but his host family fell through at the last second. I answered the post before even asking my husband, Carlos. We had discussed it before, and I knew he would be ok with it! Last year we hosted two students, so we knew we could do it again.
We’ve decided to host students from different countries each year, and when I heard Max’s audio clip, I thought he’d be the perfect student for our home. Then, when I saw that Domingos was from Mozambique, I knew that country doesn’t come up very often, so I jumped on the opportunity. Nothing special or fancy about how we chose the boys, but it sure did work out just fine!
What did you enjoy most about hosting two teenage boys from different backgrounds? Do you have a favorite memory?
I enjoyed hearing their vastly different perspectives about being in America. Max was from a city that seemed very similar to ours, so it was very easy for him to assimilate, and he felt pretty comfortable from the beginning. Domingos had never been out of his country before, had never been on a plane, etc, so his experience was vastly different (and he had a lot more questions, lol).
My favorite memory was when we were about one month from the end of the year, and I mentioned how it was sad that not only would they miss us and we would miss them, but they would probably never see each other again. Both of them chimed in and said they had already made plans to visit each other in the future! Then they went on to say that having a second student in the home was the best part about their time here! That warmed my heart!
How did hosting Max and Domingos impact your family, including your children, and what did everyone learn from the experience?
This was our third year hosting and our fourth and fifth students, so we pretty much had it down by now. This year, all three boys (our son included) were juniors in high school, so that was neat. My daughter and her three kids always get really attached to the students as well. I think it opens their mind about the rest of the world and shows them it is good to welcome and love others who are different from you.
I think we learned from other families’ experiences that it is crucial that each student, our child included, have their own interests, their own routines, their own friends, etc., and then we come together as a family for dinners, church, events, etc. Trying to force everyone to always hang out together and be “best friends” usually does not end well.
Now that their exchange year has come to an end, what has it been like looking back on the experience?
Each year at the end, I make goodbye slideshows and match them with music that I think speaks to their time here. Watching the slideshows together at the end of the year is always the saddest moment, but it is so fun to remember all of the things we did together. It also helps me remember after the years pass by. I always watch the videos of former students as well, and the memories are so sweet. I always say the easiest thing would be not to love. Then the goodbyes would not be as hard. But then, are you really living?
Having hosted two students, what advice would you share with families who are thinking about opening their home to exchange students?
We’ve had such a great experience. Our first student was perfect for our family, so we were really hesitant about getting another student, thinking there was no way they would fit in as well as the first one. But we’ve learned that they are each special in their own ways, and we’ve thoroughly enjoyed each one. All of our boys have been respectful, mature, and thankful to have this experience. We communicate with each one quite often and hope to see them again in the future. Try it at least once!
Carlos adds, “Having two students has been really great. We get to learn about two countries, customs, and foods at the same time. I think it’s also helpful for the students to have someone else going through the same adjustments. And I think it takes some of the pressure off any feelings of obligation to do everything together. Sometimes we did things with just one of the boys and other times with the whole family.”
Are you interested in making a student 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 profiles go online every Thursday!
