Menifee families invited to host exchange students

Michelle Walsh’s daughters welcome Loeiza from France (photo courtesy of Michelle Walsh).

Menifee residents are invited to open their homes to international exchange students as organizers seek host families for the upcoming school year.

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Michelle Walsh, a local representative with the Forte International Exchange Association and former Menifee resident, said she was inspired to host an exchange student after watching her mother host others growing up. 

Last school year, Walsh and her family hosted a high school student from France.

“We called her our fourth daughter,” Walsh said. “They got really attached, and there were a lot of tears when she went home.” 

During her stay, the student attended a local high school, joined sports teams, served on the yearbook committee and prepared for prom. Walsh said the experience gave the student opportunities she did not have back home in France.

Walsh said hosting also gave her family the opportunity to experience another culture while sharing their own traditions. She said the family still keeps in touch with the student and her family. 

“She’s already making plans to come back out next summer, and then we would like to make plans to go out there and visit her,” Walsh said. “That was also part of the goal, to make a connection with someone in another country.” 

Host families volunteer to provide a bed, meals at home and transportation to and from school. Students pay for their own personal expenses, such as shopping, dining out and school activities, using money provided by their families. 

Families do not need to have children of their own to participate, though students must have their own bed. Prospective host families complete an application, provide references and undergo a background check before being matched with a student. Organizers also try to pair students with families who share similar interests.

As a local representative, Walsh checks in with exchange students each month and organizes gatherings where students can connect with one another and share their experiences. 

Walsh said about 30 students are still waiting to be matched with host families before the school year begins.

“If anybody has room and would like to share their traditions and the American culture, we’d love to have more families experience the exchange program,” she said. 

For more information about becoming a host family, visit forteexchange.org.