STATES’ 4 INTERNATIONAL EXCHANGE PROGRAMS

Her teachers describe her as:

• Talkative

• Bright

• Motivated

• Positive

• Caring

• Smiley

STATES’ 4-H

INTERNATIONAL EXCHANGE PROGRAMS

Ayano from Japan

Grade: 11th GPA: 3.9 (out of 4.5) Religion: None

English Proficiency: ELTiS 218 Notes:

Gender: Female Age: 17 Languages: English, Japanese

Home Life Interests and Activities

Ayano is the youngest in her family of four. She has

one older brother. Her father works for the

Japanese Air Force and her mother is a midwife.

Ayano and her family have a dog, which she helps

to walk. She is also responsible for helping to clean

her home twice a week.

Activities: Kyudo club, piano, violin, flute

Interests: Music, movies, animals,

basketball, baking

Wants to Try: Life on a farm, learning

about animal breeding, cooking American

food

All about Ayano:

Ayano likes music, watching movies, and playing the flute. She also plays the violin and flute and enjoys singing. She is a member of her school’s kyudo club and spends around 15 hours a week practicing. Her favorite school subjects are Japanese and English but she does not particularly like math. Ayano is interested about American culture and would like to participate in American holidays, try cooking American foods, and learn about American music. She likes animals and is open to living on a farm where she can learn about animal breeding and farm life. Ayano is looking forward to sharing about traditional Japanese culture with her host family and new

friends, including kyudo and origami. Ayano’s mother says she is a helpful person and a good communicator. She sometimes bakes cakes that the family likes to enjoy together. She is a little nervous about using her English but is motivated to improve during her year in the United States.

Ayano and her classmates during a sports festival.


• Motivated

• Hard-working

• Active

• Cooperative

• Sincere

• Kind

STATES’ 4-H


Chaemin from South Korea

Grade: 9th GPA: 3.7 (out of 4.0) Religion: Christian

English Proficiency: ELTiS 227 Notes: Attends an international high school

Gender: Female Age: 15 Languages: English, Korean


Being an only child, Chaemin is close with her parents and they always make time to eat dinner together. They regularly attend church services as a family and go to baseball games. Chaemin’s mother describes their family as bright and positive. Chaemin helps her family by doing laundry and cleaning.

Activities: taekwando, flute,

Interests: public speaking, singing,

baseball, volunteerism

Wants to Try: American club activities

All about Chaemin:

Chaemin is currently an eighth grader in South Korea. She attends an international high school and is the Vice President of her class. She is also a member of a volunteerism club and a media production club. Chaemin chose to attend an international high school partly because she wanted to spend an exchange year in a different country. In her free time she likes to sing, play music (flute) and do taekwando. Chaemin is a fan of K-pop and looks forward to sharing this with her host family. She has had several different career dreams but is currently interested in working in broadcasting and/or in cosmetology.

Chaemin describes herself as positive, a good listener and polite. She says that when she talks with her friends she is able to make them laugh. Chaemin is looking forward to trying many new things during her year in the US, including joining a sports club and trying to become comfortable around animals.

Chaemin’s taekwando class


• Bright

• Communicative

• Positive

• Cheerful

• Thoughtful

• A Leader

• Active

STATES’ 4-H


Hiyori from Japan





Hiyori lives with her parents and younger brother.

She attends a school that is quite far from her home

so usually returns home late. She also participates

in many afterschool clubs, which makes for some

long days.

Activities: volleyball, singing, playing

drums, listening to music

Interests: camping, volunteering, Disney

Wants to Try: working at a food bank

All about Hiyori:

Hiyori is very excited about her year in the United States. These days she is very interested in communicating with English-speaking people and is really looking forward to improving her English ability by being in an immersive environment. She is a member of her school’s volleyball team but likes playing all sports and hopes to do so with her host family. Hiyori shares that she is very social and likes to entertain her friends. But, she also says that she has a serious side and can concentrate and focus when she needs to. Hiyori’s dream is to work for the Walt Disney Company. She hopes to help prepare herself for this job by better understanding other people’s cultures through studying abroad.

She is interested in volunteering at a food bank in the United States and counts it as one of her goals for her year in America. Hiyori is excited to share both modern and traditional Japanese culture with her host family, including Japanese pop songs.

Hiyori practicing with her volleyball team.


• Able to take on new challenges

• Motivated

• Active

• Resilient

• Warm

• Someone who does their best

STATES’ 4-H


Kei from Japan

Grade: 12th GPA: 3.9 (out of 5.0) Religion: Buddhist




Kei is from a family of four. Her mother is a Labo Tutor and her older brother is a university student. Her father works in sales. Kei is very close to her family. They usually watch TV or play cards together. They talk together a lot during meals. Kei helps with cooking as well as with the laundry and dishes.

Activities: dance, drama,

Interests: books, music, different cultures,

environmental issues

Wants to Try: “everything!”

All about Ayane:

Kei has a deep interest in other cultures and lifestyles. She decided to study aborad in order to learn more about different perspectives. Her dream is to work in an international capacity in a job that helps people. Part of her decision to spend a year in America is also so that she can improve her English in order to pursue this dream. She has shared that she looks forward to “trying everything” in this program. Kei has been doing ballet since the age of 4 and is a member of her school’s dance club. She also is interested in acting and spends her free time reading books, including mystery novels. Kei is also an active Labo member. Among Kei’s many interests are games, swimming, and animals. She would like to try living with a family that has pets as she does not have any. This will be Kei’s fourth exchange program experience. She has participated in short-term summer programs to the US (New York state through States’ 4-H in 2016), Canada, and Australia. Kei’s message to her future host family, “In order to be a member of your family, I would like to open my mind and talk a lot with you. I look forward to seeing you!”.


• Enthusiastic

• Motivated

• A hard worker

• Sociable

• Open-minded

• Cooperative

• Friendly

STATES’ 4-H


Mikiko from Japan

Grade: 12th GPA: 3.0 (out of 5.0) Religion: Buddhist




Mikiko lives with her mother. Her father passed away from cancer when she was two. Mikiko’s mother is a teacher. She is an only child. Mikiko helps her mother by cleaning the bathroom and making lunch for herself. She is close with her grandmother, who helped raise her. Mikiko likes being in nature and often visits the rice fields near to her home to spend time outside.

Activities: dance, language learning

Interests: photography, music,

skateboarding, movies, koto, flute, animals

Wants to Try: meeting new people,

school clubs and sports

All about Mikiko:

Mikiko is an animal lover who loves learning languages, listening to music, dancing, skateboarding and taking photos. She describes herself as “being full of fighting spirit” who is positive and excited for new experiences. Mikiko has a passion for languages, especially English, and is looking forward to improving her English while in the US. Mikiko was inspired to spend her year in America after visiting for a short-term summer exchange. She “fell in love” with American life and was interested in the differences between Japanese and American people. She looks forward to falling in love with America again and teaching her new American friends and family about Japanese culture.

Mikiko is interested in working in a job that helps to protect nature

or that helps people and animals around the world. She wants to better understand and cooperate with others by improving her English and learning about other cultures.

Mikiko and her Labo friends at a winter camp/


• Cheerful

• Delightful

• Enthusiastic

• Communicative

• Honest

• A leader

STATES’ 4-H


Sayo from Japan





Sayo lives together with her mother, older brother,

and grandparents. Everyday she gets up before

6AM and takes the train for 30 minutes before

bicycling an additional 30 minutes to get to school.

At home, she helps to clean the bathroom and

tends to the family’s alter.

Activities: running (track and field), piano,

Hippo Club, playing sports

Interests: singing, music, fashion,

karaoke, shopping, exercise

Wants to Try: school sports, volunteerism,

debate and discussion in school

All about Sayo:

Sayo is looking forward to experiencing a different culture and is hoping to “grow up and develop myself”. She has been to the United States twice for short-term visits and is excited to attend an American school. She is looking forward to experiencing debate and discussion during class time, Her favorite classes are social studies, history and PE. In the future she hopes to work for the United Nations and help people in underdeveloped countries. Sayo’s mother describes her as someone who always tries their best and who is trustful and honest.

Sayo’s message to her host family is, “I will make a wonderful year by talking a lot and experiencing new things with you. I will do my best for a year to grow up myself. I’m very looking forward to going to America and seeing you”.

Sayo’s school in Japan.


• Motivated

• Studious

• Autonomous

• Punctual

• Adventurous

• Energetic

STATES’ 4-H


Seohyun from South Korea


English Proficiency: ELTiS 221 Notes: mildly allergic to animal fur

Gender: Female Age: 15 Languages: English, Korean


Seohyun lives with her both of her parents and her younger brother. Her father is an engineer and her mother is a teacher. They enjoy playing board games together and regularly attend church as a family. Seohyun helps with the cleaning and laundry and diligently keeps her school and extracurricular routines.

Activities: listening to music, reading,

exercise, watching movies, journalism

Interests: global cultures, music, English

Wants to Try: American holiday culture,

debate, sports

All about Seohyun:

Seohyun also goes by “Jessica”. She describes herself as someone with a big smile who is active, outgoing, and has a bright personality. She is a member of the newspaper club and orchestra at school. Seohyun shares that her primary motivation for becoming an exchange student is learning more about American culture. She is looking forward to gaining a broader worldview through this program and growing her sense of independence. Seohyun enjoys playing the piano, watching Marvel movies and listening to movies. Her dream job would to be a public relations marketer for Marvel movies! Seohyun also likes learning English and playing sports. She has a license in junior jump roping.

Seohyun is looking forward to joining the school band, joining volleyball and making many new friends in the United States. Her goal is to make ten international friends! Her mother describes her as passionate, sincere and a young person with firm convictions.

Seohyun wearing traditional Korean clothing.

His teachers describe him as:

• Positive

• Friendly

• Honest

• Flexible

• Motivated

• A leader

STATES’ 4-H


Seongyun from South Korea



Gender: Male Age: 15 Languages: English, Korean


Seongyun lives with his parents, younger brother and grandfather. His father is a retired military officer who now works for a company and his mother was a nurse but now works for an insurance comapny. His family is very active and adventurous and have done a lot of traveling together. They go to church together and spend time as a family on the weekends.

Activities: soccer, basketball, swimming,

piano, badminton, kendo

Interests: sports, reading, cooking

Wants to Try: new sports, having pets,

American holidays

All about Seongyun:

Seongyun is a very active young person with a lot of interests and hobbies. He enjoys sports especially kendo, soccer, badminton, basketball, skiing, swimming, and table tennis. He also plays piano. Seongyun describes himself as adventurous, outgoing, and a good listener. He likes to try new things. At his school in Korea, Seongyun is a member of the badminton club and the school band. He was the President of his 7th grade class. His favorite subjects are the arts, PE, and English Together with his family he has traveled to several different

countries and he enjoys the adventure of new experiences. He is an optimist and sees challenges as opportunities. Seongyun is hoping to be a pilot in the future and is considering joining the Korean Air Force academy. He is looking forward to experiencing American culture and widening his perspectives.

Seongyun as part of a mission trip to Japan.


• Motivated

• Diligent

• Serious

• Friendly

• Positive

• Perseverant

•

STATES’ 4-H


Shuhei from Japan

Grade: 11th GPA: 4.2 (out of 5.0) Religion: Buddhism


Gender: Male Age: 18 Languages: English, Japanese


Shuhei is the middle child in a family of five. He has one older brother and one younger brother. His father works in an office and his mother cares for young children. Both of his grandparents are farmers. Shuhei helps his family by cooking simple dishes and helping with the washing and cleaning.

Activities: running, school clubs

Interests: camping, music, ukelele

Wants to Try: new foods, school sports,

making new American friends, guitar/banjo

All about Ayane:

Shuhei is from a part of Japan that has beautiful nature, including views of Mt. Fuji. He is a member of his school’s mountaineering club and also does cross country. His favorite subject is English and he is interested in one day becoming an English teacher. However, his motivation to participate in this program goes beyond language. Shuhei wants to challenge himself and become a more assertive and independent person. Shuhei shares that during his previous exchange experience he lacked in confidence but he is determined to talk to more people and learn more about their different perspectives. Shuhei is an active Labo member and helps to support activities and events for younger Labo members. His mother notes that he does well with small children. He describes his own

personality as active, calm, friendly, reliable, adaptable and well-mannered. Apart from his primary hobbies of running, ukelel and mountaineering, he likes going to movies, playing games, playing video games, skiing, and reading.

Shuhei with his Labo party friends.


• Cooperative

• Participatory

• Positive

• Bright

• Kind

• Honest

• Flexible

STATES’ 4-H


Sungha from South Korea



Gender: Male Age: 15 Languages: English, Korean


Sungha lives in a family of five. He has an older sister who also was a high school exchange student, as well as a younger brother. His father works at a bank and his mother is an engineer. Sungha commutes to school by bicycle, he is starting his first year of high school in South Korea. Sungha helps his family with keeping his home clean as well as dishwashing. His family is Christian.

Activities: taekwando, basketball,

volleyball, soccer, table tennis, clarinet

Interests: history, sports, culture, science

Wants to Try: sports, making friends,

having conversations in English

All about Sungha:

Sungha is from a suburb of one of South Korea’s largest cities. He loves sports and has a fourth-degree black belt in taekwando, Korea’s traditional martial art. He plays both the clarinet and guitar. Sungha has an interest in history and culture and this is driving his desire to be an exchange student. He hopes to learn about American culture and history as well as improve his English ability. He describes himself as active and positive. He is considering studying to become a police officer because it is an active

occupation. His favorite subjects in school are math, Korean history and physical education. Recently, Sungha has become interested in hip hop music and has participated in school music festivals as well as other events. Sungha likes to help other people and hopes to be able make new friends in America by being outgoing and generous. He is looking forward to cooking instant noodles for his future host family!

Sungha playing guitar at a school music festival.


• Hard working • Social • Sincere • Cooperative • Responsible • Motivated

STATES’ 4-H


Tamako from Japan





Tamako lives with her parents and her younger brother. Her father is an office worker and her mother is a regional leader for LEX Hippo Family Club. Tamako sometimes cooks dinner for her family together with her brother and she is also responsible for folding laundry.

Activities: dance club, art, track Interests: music, reading, badminton, travel, painting, nature, crafting Wants to Try: art activities, school sports,

All about Tamako:

Tamako was really moved by her previous experience as a participant in the one-month summer exchange program. She particularly was impressed by the nature and her interactions with American people who she described as “cheerful”. She has shared that she wants to expand her world through studying abroad and hopes to make many new friends. Tamako has been a member of her high school dance team and practices everyday. She sometimes participates in local dance events with her team. Tamako describes herself as a kind person who can get along with many different types of people. She cites her concentration and creativity as her strengths. Tamako is artistic and does oil painting and handicrafts. She would like to attend

an art university in the future and work on stage sets as a career. Tamako shares that “In America, I want to learn about American culture by experiencing American lifestyle and events. I want to learn about how Americans express themselves”.

Some of Tamako’s artwork and crafts.


• Honest

• Cheerful

• Good natured

• Open hearted

• Positive

• Motivated

STATES’ 4-H


Yuki from Japan


English Proficiency: ELTiS 223 Notes: shellfish allergy



Yuki is from a big family. He has three siblings – a

younger brother and two older sisters. Yuki’s father

works in real estate and his mother works with LEX

Hippo Family Club. Yuki is very close with his

younger brother. He washes the dishes and cleans

the bathroom. His family likes to eat dinner together

and share about their day.

Activities: badminton, school clubs, video

games, soccer, basketball

Interests: fishing, camping, movies,

exercise

Wants to Try: taking care of animals,

school sports, American classroom culture

All about Yuki:

Yuki is a busy and active 16 year old. Most days he stays late at school to participate in club activities and is also an active participant in the LEX Hippo Family Club community activities. Yuki is a member of his school’s badminton team and enjoys his math and science classes. He is interested in experiencing a different learning environment where he can share his opinions and participate in group discussions. Yuki comes from a big family and is looking forward to becoming part of his new host family. He always shares about his day with his family in Japan and is committed to talking a lot with his host family. He also would like to cook Japanese food for his host family. Yuki shares that three of his biggest strengths are his smile, honesty, and open-mindedness. Yuki’s mother describes him as a kind and gentle person with a good

sense of humor. In his own words, “I think this homestay will feel very fast. So, I want to cheris the precious time in America. I want to enjoy these days doing my best”.

Yuki’s Hippo Family Club.


• Cheerful

• Positive

• Outgoing

• Mature

• Loved by all

• Supportive

• Enthusiastic

• Cooperative

STATES’ 4-H


Yushi from Japan





Yushi is the oldest of three brothers. His father is an interior decorator. Together with his brothers he often plays sports and goes fishing. He helps his family by washing the dishes. He often visits his grandparents and likes listening to their stories. He often goes for walks with his grandparents. His mother shared that sometimes she sees Yushi holding his grandmother’s hand and smiling!

Activities: basketball, volleyball, judo,

skiing, singing, guitar, trumpet, band

Interests: music, fishing, languages

Wants to Try: playing music, school

band, learn more English

All about Yushi:

Yushi loves listening to and making music. He is a band and plays guitar. Part of Yushi’s interest in America comes from his passion for American rock music. He hopes to discover some fo the meaning and emotion behind the lyrics by living in America. Yushi also likes sports, including volleyball and basketball. His favorite subject at school is PE and he likes hamburgers. Yushi is interested in people as a whole and enjoys meeting new people. Yushi’s family has hosted exchange students, including a university student from Kentucky. It is due to this reason that he became interested in international exchange and

becoming an exchange student himself. He is looking forward to teaching his host family about his culture, including sharing traditional Japanese food and music. Yushi’s dream is to become the lead singer of band, including to write and perform songs in English!

Yushi playing basketball with his brother.


• Communicative

• Friendly

• Cooperative

• Enthusiastic

• Kind

• Smart

STATES’ 4-H


Yuuki from Japan


English Proficiency: ELTiS 225 Notes: cedar pollen allergy



Yuuki is the youngest of three brothers. His two

older brothers are much older so do not live

together with him in his home. His father is an office

worker. Yuuki helps out his parents by folding the

laundry and cleaning the bathroom. He rides his

bike to school every day.

Activities: soccer, chemistry club, track,

music, video games, piano

Interests: international relations, new

cultures, robotics

Wants to Try: volunteering, school sports,

robotics,

All about Yuuki:

Yuuki describes himself as a cheerful person who is friendly and likes to play sports. He is excited to experience some special events in America and to make Japanese food with his host family. Yuuki shares that he is a hard worker and likes to ask questions in order to understand a new idea. His friends describe him as a kind person. Yuuki has a goal to be work in international relations so participating in this program is a natural first step for him. In his own words, “I always want to tell myself to accept other cultures and values and also notions. By doing it, I think that I can grow myself and make a good relationship”.

Yuuki is looking forward to trying a school sport during his year in America. His favorite class is math and his favorite American food is pizza. While he is worried about his ability to understand his teachers, he is motivated to do his best.

Yuuki’s high school in his hometown.

STATES’ 4 INTERNATIONAL EXCHANGE PROGRAMS

Documents

Transcript of STATES’ 4 INTERNATIONAL EXCHANGE PROGRAMS