Journey to Costa Rica: Gwen (Leonard) McNamara’s AFS Story
In this article, Gwen McNamara describes her journey to Costa Rica with AFS in 1974 and a recent reunion with her AFS family. I was 15 in November 1973 when…
Alumni Articles
Alumni Spotlight: Abby Verrando
In this article, Abby Verrando, a California high school student in her junior year, responds to a series of questions about her experience in the AFS Youth Ambassador Sustainability Program…
Why I Give to AFS-USA: An Interview with William (Bill) R. MacIntosh
Bill MacIntosh, an AFS-USA alumnus who participated in an exchange program to Brazil (Brasil in Portuguese) from 1964-1965, recently sat down with AFS-USA President and CEO Tara Hofmann to talk…
Alumni Spotlight: Grace Mustafa
Grace has been an AFS exchange student (US to Germany, 2008), a volunteer, and a host sister to multiple exchange students over the years. She now works in a seasonal…
Janice Mills and an AFS 50th Year Reunion!
In this article, Janice Mills, an AFS-USA Alumna who went to Sweden with AFS in 1972, shares her experience during a 50 year reunion with her fellow AFSers! Janice was…
The Love Language of AFS
AFS programs have a magical way of bringing people together; across oceans, borders, languages, and cultures, participants often can’t help but fall in love with one another. Many AFS alumni…
Alumni Spotlight: Natalie Rhodes
In this article, Natalie Rhodes, an AFS-USA Alumna who went to Chile for one semester during her junior year of high school, responds to a series of questions about her…
Oliva N. reflects upon her AFS experience in Japan during COVID
It was Olivia’s dream since seventh grade to study in Japan. Looking back in her journal, she realized how much of the past five years were spent studying the language…
In Memoriam: Guido Guidotti – AFS Alumnus, Scientist, and Professor
AFS-USA honors the legacy of returnee Guido Guidotti, Italy to U.S. 1950. Guido first came to the U.S. from Naples, Italy, as an AFS student in 1950. He attended Decatur High School in Illinois and was…
Alumni Newsletter: Spring 2022
A Message from Tara Hofmann Today as I write this, our work has taken on even greater urgency as we witness and carefully monitor the tragic invasion in Ukraine. It…
Alumni Newsletter: Fall 2021
We’re Moving Forward Thanks to You Over the past year, I have heard from many AFS-USA alumni about what AFS-USA means to them and how thankful they were that they…
Alumni Newsletter: Summer 2022
A Message from Tara Hofmann It’s remarkable that in September AFS will start its celebration of the 75th anniversary of AFS youth exchange programs. Over the course of the coming…
Alumni Newsletter: Summer 2021
Dear AFS-USA Alumni, Families, and Friends, I hope this newsletter finds you and your family doing well! Whether you studied abroad, hosted a student, sent your child abroad, volunteer or…
Alumni Newsletter: Winter 2023
A Message from Tara Hofmann As we begin a new year at AFS-USA (and the second half of our 75th anniversary), together, we have turned a corner in what has…
An AFS Adventure to Austria in 1968!
This article is written by AFS-USA Alumnus Dave Schrader. Dave is currently an AFS Volunteer in the Greater Los Angeles and South Bay Chapter who is greatly involved with orientation…
Alumni Newsletter: Fall 2020
Dear AFS-USA Community, While we are all immersed in challenges these days, we’ve also come to value the stability of a singular mission and values that inspire all that we…
Your Identity Will Be Valued: My Time In Germany by Tony Valencia, AFS and CBYX Alum
“Only through dialogue and communication can differences be understood and appreciated.” – AFS and CBYX Alum, Tony Valencia ’18- ’19. In this blog post for Pride Month, Tony delves into…
Alumni Newsletter: Special Edition | Spring 2020
AFS was founded in response to a global crisis in 1947 by American Field Service Volunteer Ambulance Drivers. In times like these, AFS Alumni around the world have demonstrated that it’s…
Returnee Spotlight: Nurse LeeAnn on the Frontlines of the Pandemic
LeeAnn Pinchock is an AFS Returnee who spent her senior year in a tiny town near Cologne, Germany. Ann now lives in a small rural town twenty miles from Flint,…
An Interview with AFS Alumna, Amanda Sawyer (U.S. to Spain, 2018-19)
When Amanda first decided to study abroad, her main goal was to learn Spanish. What she didn’t realize was how much more she would discover about the world and herself.…
Returnee Spotlight: Marcio A. da Fonseca
It’s no secret that AFSers go on to do extraordinary things. Marcio A. da Fonseca is no different. Marcio, an AFS Returnee (Brazil to U.S.,1982-83) is the Director of Oral…
NBC News’ chief foreign correspondent Richard Engel’s “AFS Effect”
Did you know that Richard Engel, NBC News’ chief foreign correspondent, is an AFSer? As a teenager in the early 1990s, Richard studied abroad in Palermo, Sicily, where he lived…
Young Alumni Reflections
For more than 70 years, AFSers like you have helped advance international awareness and cultural understanding while at the same time made the world a more just and peaceful place…
In photos: “The Competitive Edge: Global Experience for a Diverse Workplace” event at IIE
NEW YORK, N.Y., November 7, 2019—Key findings of a AFS Global Alumni Survey were shared at an event Tuesday evening co-organized by AFS with the Institute of International Education, the…
New Research Report, “Creating Global Citizens: The AFS Effect”
NEW YORK, N.Y., November 6, 2019—AFS released a large-scale research report on Tuesday, focused on the impact that AFS exchanges have on the lives and careers of participants. The full-scale,…
Study Abroad Articles, Host Family Articles, Volunteer Articles, Educators Articles, Alumni Articles
Everyday Ambassadors: Public Diplomacy and Why It Matters
When we think of international diplomacy, we might imagine heads of state at official meetings, but in fact everyone can (and should) engage in diplomacy.
The Year That Changed My Life
My AFS journey began in the summer of 1996, when I went on an AFS year program in France.
AFS Families create global friendships that last a lifetime
Hosting sounded like an enjoyable experience with many benefits, so Jacque and her family said “yes!” This began an international friendship that would span 55 years.
AFS-USA Announces Update to Company Name on LinkedIn Page
October 16, 2019 | New York, NY — AFS-USA, Inc. has announced its plan to revise the name of its LinkedIn School Page from “AFS” to “AFS Intercultural Programs USA.”…
Returnee Spotlight: Host Sisters Reunite After 56 Years
In September 2019, staff from the AFS-USA Development and Alumni Affairs team visited Penelope B., a US Returnee originally from Milwaukee, in her charming apartment on the 5th floor of…
Embracing a Spanish Summer: A Reflection by AFS-USA Pride Scholar Ryan Rodriguez
Ryan Rodriguez is an AFS-USA Pride Scholar who traveled to Spain on our Global Prep program. In his personal essay, Ryan reflects on his experience abroad with his host family,…
Coming Home: An Interview with AFS Alum, Stephen Zhang (China to U.S., ’07-’08)
In high school, Stephen Zhang knew he was ready for something new. He wondered what it would be like to start a new life beyond the comforts of his routine…
LGBTQ+ Pride Across Cultures: A Story by AFS Returnee and President’s Council Member Craig Wilson
The summer of 1966 was a long time ago, but I remember it like yesterday. Why? Because it changed my life. My name is Craig Wilson and I was an…
Blog, LGBTQ+ Pride Articles, Study Abroad Articles, Host Family Articles, Educators Articles, Alumni Articles
LGBTQ+ Pride Across Cultures: An Interview with AFS Returnee and Senior Staff, Melvin Harmon
Melvin Harmon has been involved with and dedicated to student exchange since the late 1970’s, starting with his own year abroad in Malaysia in 1980. Inspired by the life-changing nature…
Alumni Celebration in Minneapolis Celebrates the “Second Century” of AFS-USA
AFS Ecuador Director, Juan Rodriguez, with Karen Lindquist, his host sister during his AFS exchange year to the US. October 2, 2014 | New York, NY – This past Saturday, AFS-USA…
6 lessons from the AFS Returnee who went to space
AFS Returnee Samantha Cristoforetti adjusts her Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) spacesuit. Photo Credit: NASA For many AFS participants, studying abroad is the beginning of a lifelong international journey. For Italian…
AFS Returnee Maggie Kane founds pay-what-you-can cafe, A Place at the Table
Many AFS Exchange Students lead impactful lives after their time abroad opened their minds and taught them to collaborate across typical divides. They think globally, then act locally. One AFSer,…
Q&A With AFS-USA’s Alumni Relations Intern: Molly Kisner
Molly Kisner is AFS-USA’s Alumni Relations intern, an AFS Returnee (U.S. to France, 2010), and she is completing our fall internship program this week. She studied French literature and Japanese…
Studying Abroad in the 1960s
Thanks to the generosity of George Gabb, the AFS Archives recently acquired an oversized scrapbook filled with black and white photographs, letters, newspaper clippings, small brochures, cards, tickets, luggage tags,…
Blog, Study Abroad Articles, Host Family Articles, Volunteer Articles, Educators Articles, Impact Articles, Alumni Articles
My Multigenerational AFS Family
It’s 2018 and I’m sitting in my grandmother’s sunny Ohio kitchen. We just went to two estate sales and are on our way to a quilting expo. She’s a consummate…
7 Real AFS Returnees Review Our Study Abroad Programs
Read study abroad program reviews from real AFS Returnees about their formative experiences studying abroad on our programs! 1. Naomi, U.S. to Brazil ‘11 Ready to experience the warm, close-knit…
AFS Returnee Professional Development Webinars
About AFS Returnee Professional Development Webinars We are please to share that Pamela Berland Ex, AFS Returnee, U.S. to Brazil 1975-76 has agreed to reprise our popular professional development webinars…
Featured Returnee Social Media Takover: Jaime Cantwell
MONDAY: Hi, I’m Jaime Cantwell! I went to Deyang, China on a NSLI-Y scholarship the summer of 2016—I studied Mandarin Chinese at Deyang Foreign Language School for six weeks while…
AFS families create global friendships that last a lifetime
It all started in 1962, with a phone call to the Rayner family. Someone from their local high school in Maryland called Jacque Leedom (nee Rayner) and her family asking…
Returnee Spotlight: Helene Bee
December 9, 2016 – Helene B. spent her AFS year in Indonesia as a recipient of the Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study Abroad (YES Abroad) scholarship funded by the U.S. Department of…
Returnee Spotlight: Nico B.
November 7, 2016 – Nico B. spent the 2012 -2013 academic year in Egypt with AFS and participated in the 2015 Returnee Leadership Summit. Since his exchange year, he has also…
Returnee Spotlight: Maddy Keating
November 7, 2016 – Maddy K. spent her AFS year in Germany as a recipient of the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange (CBYX) scholarship funded by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and…
Returnee Spotlight on: Dana Buzzelli
September 21, 2016 – Dana Buzzelli is an alumna of the National Security Language Initiative for Youth scholarship program, funded by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and…