LOCAL & GLOBAL COMMUNITIES
MAKING POSITIVE SOCIAL CHANGE
The presence of international students on our campus and in our classrooms definitively has heightened our students’ understanding of the diverse, global society of the 21st Century. Woodlawn hosted our first international students, from Guatemala, during Fall 2012. In the near future, our goal is to add new countries, visitors, and schools to our range of international experiences.
If you are interested in sharing your home with a student or if you would like to learn more, please let us know by emailing [email protected].
International Opportunities
Guatemala Exchange Program - Fall 2017
Often the most meaningful, lifelong relationships develop between international students and their American host families. In a community as supportive and welcoming as Woodlawn’s, we anticipate that many families may be interested in opening their homes to a visiting student this coming fall 2017.
The students come here to study English and immerse themselves in American culture. During their eight-week stay, they also share their own culture and customs with their classmates and lower school students. The Guatemalan students arrive mid-October and depart before the December winter break. The students are expected to fall into the family’s routine/schedule just as host families’ own children do. They also come with their own spending money, and a small stipend is provided to each host family.
This opportunity is available to all Middle and Upper School families. The host family will:
+ provide a bed and preferably a private bedroom for the exchange student
+ have a child that goes to Woodlawn and is within two years of the same age as the exchange student
+ have two parents and children living as one household
+ provide or secure transportation to and from school and/or extracurricular activities
+ provide the exchange student with all meals
+ welcome the exchange student as a member of the family and engage him or her in the family’s daily routine
Charlotte Photographer – PatrickSchneiderPhoto.com
WHY I LOVE WOODLAWN
“Woodlawn isn’t just a school; it’s a family of supportive individuals committed to having a positive impact on each other and the world. When a student wants to pursue a particular interest, Woodlawn helps provide the resources and encouragement they need in order to do so. While taking a Social Entrepreneurship elective in my junior year, I became passionate about early childhood literacy and was able to host a school-wide read-a-thon fundraiser to purchase books and parent resource materials for families at a local health clinic for the uninsured. From civic engagement and student journalism to math competitions and mosaic art, Woodlawn has supplied me with the tools to delve into my different interests.”
– Meredith S. ’15
Pomona College ’19
Host parent | November 2012
Jill Gazzaway
“It was a privilege to serve as a host family for your program. We very much enjoyed having Pedro as part of our family and believe he took full advantage of his experience here. He came to us with a smile, a great attitude, and many questions about life in the United States. He fit in well and was very open to new experiences. We feel like he was prepared for the trip and was able to do everything he wanted, except see some snow! We were pleased with the support provided throughout the process and thought it went smoothly.”
Host parent | November 2012
kimball
“This has been a great experience for our family. As far as I know Dani is happy and has enjoyed herself. Now if it would just snow in the mountains everything would be perfect (she wants to see snow so we want to take her tubing!) Dani has invited Natalie to visit her in Guatemala, and we’re going to figure out how to make that happen. She’s also talking about possibly coming to college in the US, and we’ll help her with that in any way we can. She’s a wonderful person and a good friend of ours now, and we plan to maintain that friendship. We really appreciate Woodlawn giving us this opportunity.”
