Families being sought for exchange students

Farmington and surrounding area families are invited to host international exchange students coming to the area this month for one semester.

The exchange program is operated by the STS Foundation with local representatives. Students are ages 15 to 18 and will have their own spending money and health insurance. Host families are responsible for providing meals, a place to sleep and a nurturing and safe environment.

The foundation places a large emphasis on supporting host families and will has a local representative maintain monthly contact with the family. Students are proficient in English and must maintain satisfactory academic progress while in school here.

All types of families are welcome to apply to host including empty nesters, older couples, young couples, families with or without children and even single parents.

Two students looking for host families are Linda and Gerardo.

Linda is 16 and comes from near Vienna in Austria. Her dad is a musician and her mother a social worker. She loves music and singing. She also enjoys walking her dog, playing basketball and tennis and meeting her friends.

Linda wants to find out more about American football, baseball and bowling while in the USA. Her parents describe her as being polite, responsible, honest and humorous. She loves being around children and is a good listener. Linda's English teacher describes her as being a reliable and hard-working young lady who is popular with both teachers and classmates.

Gerardo is 17 and comes from Venezuela. He has an 11-year-old sister and an 8-year-old brother. Gerardo’s dad is a company administrator and his mom is an agricultural engineer. His main hobbies are painting, playing the piano, practicing karate, swimming, basketball and cooking.

Gerardo has been playing the piano for three years and has been painting for almost eight years. He has worked part-time at his grandfather's art studio helping sell some paintings and takes piano lessons each weekend. His parents describe him as being communicative, happy, kind and loving. He is an A+ student at school and has 10 years of English. His teacher describes him as being extremely responsible and very active in all aspects of school.

For more information on hosting call Keila at (573) 747-0150 or (573) 704-2043, or email info@stsfoundation.org. STS Foundation is a not for profit foundation and is dedicated to intercultural exchange.

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