Name: Ying Xia
Nick Name: Helen
Bithdate: 7/22/1993
From: Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China

Ying Xia will be 17 years old when she arrives in Eugene to attend Marist High School in fall 2010. She is currently participating in a 10-month exchange program in Sandston, Virginia. Ying has an outgoing personality. She describes herself as compliant, polite, and hard working. At the age of seven, Ying's grandmother began to teach her to play the piano and even now remains her greatest encourager. Her grandmother is the person that she admires the most. She is now an accomplished piano player and enjoys performing for other people. She also likes drawing and writing, and has won prizes for them at her school. Reading is another of her interests. For sports, Ying loves playing badminton and basketball. Her teachers say she is a good student who is kind, cooperative and modest. Ying hopes to gain confidence and independence through her exchange experience at Marist High School.

Name: Yumeng Yao
Nickname: Polaris
Birthdate: 11/06/1993
From: Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China

Yumeng Yao is 16 years old. She is currently participating in a 10-month exchange program in Zillah, Washington. She will be a junior at Marist High School in fall 2010. Her teachers say that she is fond of learning, an active girl and one who always makes her teachers and classmates happy because of her pleasant personality. A talented girl with many interests, Yumeng loves painting, playing the piano, singing and playing basketball. She also enjoys Japanese cartoons and is good at drawing cartoon heroes. She was president of the cartoon club in her school in China. Yumeng describes herself as outgoing, interesting, active, kind and playful. Her English name is "Polaris," a name that she chose because like the North Star shining in the sky and showing people direction, she hopes that she can do her best to help other people.

Name: Ziyao Guo
Nickname: Kam
Birthdate: 08/17/1994
From: Beijing, China

Ziyao Guo, nicknamed "Kam," will be 16 years old when he arrives in Eugene this fall to study as a sophomore at Marist High School. He would like to be involved in many activities in America, and especially looking forward to the chance to play basketball for the school team! His teachers describe him as an honest, smart, outgoing boy who has a good sense of humor and is easy to communicate with. He is a good student who earns top grades and participates fully in his classes. Kam says that his strength is in never giving up in all that he does. He is interested in protecting the environment and helping people in the community. Kam was recently a volunteer English teacher at a primary school where the students and teachers appreciated his enthusiastic personality in the classroom and his confidence with his speaking skills. Kam's new host family will learn first-hand about China as he shares his life and culture with them!

Name: Ruoyu He
Nickname: Royal
Birthdate: 12/28/1995
From: Beijing, China

Ruoyu He, nicknamed Royal, is 14 years old and will be a sophomore at Marist this September. His parents describe him as an independent, curious and confident boy who is always trying to improve himself. He has taught himself how to fix many things and is especially good at repairing household appliances and computers! Because of his strong work ethic and dedication to success, he has won many awards in math and physics. Royal is very musically talented and plays the piano in a band that he organized for his school. He is concerned with the less fortunate and worked hard selling newspapers to earn money, which he then donated toward children's charities. In the last five years he has traveled to America, Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong and Thailand. Royal enjoys English music and films and can communicate freely in English. His goals are to study computer science in one of the top universities in America, make many friends here and be helpful to others. Royal is very excited to begin his new life in America!

Name: Tianyi Wang
Birthdate: 10/29/1993
From: Changchun, China

Tianyi Wang is a 16-year old student who will be a sophomore at Marist this fall. He currently attends boarding school in China where he is active in organizing sports and activities for his class. He is the top student in his entire grade, excelling in all subjects but especially shining in math and science. He is interested in reading books, playing the saxophone, drawing and watching movies. He is the leading player on his school's basketball team and his teacher says that he is the sports idol to many students. He hopes to be able to play basketball for Marist next year! Tianyi greatly admires one of his past teachers, Ms. Long. Through her words and actions she demonstrated to him the importance of being a person of high moral character, honest and brave above all else. He is very grateful for her guidance. Tianyi's teachers describe his English reading, writing and understanding as excellent. He is outgoing, responsible and has good organizational skills. He is also humorous and often brings much fun to his classroom.

WHO CAN APPLY TO HOST?
Any household consisting of two or more persons related by blood, legal adoption or marriage may apply to host. At least one family member must be 25+ years old. At least one adult family member must be a native English speaker.

Previous host families have come in many shapes and sizes: single parents, families with teens, those with no children, young children, empty nesters, and grandparents. There is no such thing as a “typical” host family.

HOW MANY STUDENTS MAY I HOST?
Up to two (2) per home, and each must be from a different country. GPY routinely places only one international student per home.

WHAT DO I PROVIDE FOR STUDENT?

• Bed – Each student must have his or her own bed. The student may share a room with a host sibling of the same gender, provided there is a storage area for his or her personal belongings.
• Quiet place to study
• Meals
• Transportation to & from school -- Most families drop off and pick up their student.
• Entertainment & Activities -- We encourage host families to include their students in all family activities such as concerts, movies, ball games, birthday parties, etc.
• Hospitality -- Students will appreciate your warm hospitality and genuine enthusiasm. They will enjoy becoming true members of your families.

EXPENSES
A stipend is offered to cover the basic, everyday expenses involved in hosting an international student in their home. The stipend will also cover meals eaten in restaurants and activities selected by the host families. Students will come with medical insurance and their own money for personal expenses.

For more info, contact LuAnn Langford, International Coordinator, at 541.517.5915.