Bushland High seeks host families for foreign exchange students

BUSHLAND, Texas (KVII) — Bushland High School is actively seeking eight host families to accommodate foreign exchange students from around the world for the upcoming school year.

The program offers students like Shege Osmani, a junior from Kosovo, the opportunity to share her culture with Americans.

"It's always fun to have something change in your life," Osmani said. "I definitely think that exchange students, especially if you like traveling and different cultures, but you don't have the time to do that, you can bring other countries into your own house."

Host families must be at least 25 years old and are required to provide three meals a day, transportation to and from school, a bed, a nurturing home, and live within a 200-mile radius of Amarillo. Michelle Lancaster, coordinator for WorldLink Inc., emphasized the importance of a loving environment.

"As a host family, you could be an older couple, a single person, you can have little kids, you can have no kids, a lot of kids," Lancaster said. "We're just looking for loving homes for these children, so no matter what type of family you have, you would qualify for hosting an exchange student," she added.

Lancaster also highlighted the cultural exchange benefits, recalling a memorable moment for students.

"When they saw their first cowboy, that was pretty amazing because they didn't know cowboys were real," she said. "They just thought they were made for westerns and they were actors or actresses."

Eva Cernei, an 11th grader, stressed the significance of host families in their exchange experience.

"They get to show us the states, and they get to leave an impression of the United States on us," Cernei said. "For example, my host family showed me a lot of new things like car racing because they're interested in that and I got to see something completely interesting, Cernei said. "They're also supporting us throughout our exchange year and showing us kindness on the other side of the world," Cernei added.

Host families are expected to welcome students for one school year. For more information or to apply to become a host family, click HERE or call Lancaster at 806-640-4776.