The American Dream of Patricia Audrey Castromayor
In this article Patricia Audrey Castromayor, a student from the Philippines, talks about her experience in the US with the ALEX program, a two week exchange organized for the students…
Impact Articles
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…
AFS-USA Pride and LGBTQIA+ Resources
AFS-USA welcomes members of the LGBTQIA+ community, and actively encourages and supports their participation in all types of AFS opportunities, including studying abroad, volunteering, and hosting exchange students. Read below…
AFS-USA Community Changemaker Award Winners
The theme of our 75th Anniversary is Your Story is Our Story: 75 Years of Creating Global Citizens. While it’s impossible to measure the impact AFS-USA continues to have…
Resources to Celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month
This collection of resources can be used during Hispanic Heritage Month, also recognized as Latino or Latinx Heritage Month, and be shared year-round. Articles: Elevating Hispanic and Latinx History All Year| PBS …
AFS-USA Elects New Board Members: Focus on Increasing Support to Schools and Students
AFS-USA, the largest partner in a worldwide network of non-profit, volunteer-based international education organizations, announces five new board members elected at its June 24th annual Board meeting. Tara Hofmann, President…
AFS-USA Elects New Board Members
On behalf of the AFS-USA leadership, I am pleased to share the news that five new board members were elected at the annual AFS-USA Board meeting on June 24th, along…
AFS-USA Elects New Board Members: Focus on Strategic Imperatives
AFS-USA, the largest partner in a worldwide network of non-profit, volunteer-based international education organizations, announces five new board members elected at its annual Board meeting on June 26th. According to…
AFS-USA Resources to Celebrate Black History Month Year-Round
This is a collection of materials and resources gathered by AFS-USA staff in celebration of Black History Month. While Black History Month is celebrated in February in the US, these…
IN MEMORIAM: Richard M. Hunt, AFS Volunteer, Historian, and Philanthropist
AFS is saddened to announce the passing of AFS World War II volunteer and Life Trustee Richard (Rick) M. Hunt, who died on April 10, 2020. Hunt was a student…
AFS in Action: Anti-Racism Resources for the AFS Community
“At a time when the world is overcome by pandemics both viral and societal, AFS’s guiding principles of inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility are more urgent than ever.” – Hannah Greene, AFS-USA Returnee…
AFS-USA Juneteenth Resources
Juneteenth, short for “June Nineteenth”, is the day that marks the end of slavery in the United States 157 years ago in 1865, two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was…
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,…
Advocates for international education attend summit in Washington D.C.
WASHINGTON, D.C., October 29, 2019—Key voices for international exchange convened in Washington D.C. for a two-day conference led by the Alliance for International Exchanges (“Alliance”) on October 24-25. Held annually,…
AFS-USA leaders are featured panelists at AFS Global Conference 2019
Pictured above: Carolyn Rehn (left) and Tara Hofmann (right) speak during a session on the Innovation Stage at the AFS Global Conference 2019 in Montreal, QC. October 14, 2019—AFS-USA President…
Tara Boyce-Hofmann Appointed President of AFS-USA
An important announcement from the Chair of the AFS-USA Board of Directors, Joan B. Siegel November 28, 2018 After almost 40 years of dedicated service to AFS, and upon deep…
How Studying Abroad Can Make You Brave
Studying abroad can seem a little scary. You’re far from home in unfamiliar surroundings. You’re dealing with the language barrier and adjusting to new cultures. You’re disoriented and maybe experiencing…
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,…
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…
An update on AFS-USA’s Leadership Initiative for Teams (LIFT) Workshop
December 5, 2018 – Over the weekend, AFS-USA conducted a leadership development workshop at Trinity College’s new Action Lab. Among the attendees were AFS-USA President/CEO Tara Boyce-Hofmann, Trinity College President Joanne Berger-Sweeney,…
Spotlight On: Terri Windsor, AFS-USA Volunteer and Host Parent
Terri Windsor is an AFS-USA Volunteer and host parent in the Youngstown, Ohio area. In this article, she shares how her AFS journey began, her work with the AFS Northeast…
How student exchange enriched a Bay Area school…with robotics!
Hosting international exchange students does more than bring diverse cultures into a community. For John O’Connell High School in San Francisco, hosting an AFS international exchange student gave students a…
Tell Congress: Exchange Programs are Critical to Public Diplomacy
Recently, the Trump administration released its budget proposal for 2018, which includes a 55% cut to the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA). Among other valuable initiatives,…