Greater Chicago Area Team

We're the Greater Chicago Team!

Want to share Chicago stories with other high school students while you learn about their part of the world?

Are you ready to open your home and heart to a student from another country?

We want to hear from you!

We can help find answers to your questions!

Let us help you engage in making the world a more welcoming and peaceful place.

Team Overview

Welcome to the Greater Chicago Team

Chicago is proud to have a wonderful network of volunteers that are genuinely invested in their students. We are one of the largest and most active AFS Teams in the USA. This year we are hosting more than 40 students from 20 countries attending 20 area high schools.
We pride ourselves on working hard to build relationships with the local communities and schools.

Where are we located?

The Greater Chicago Team extends over a large territory just east of the Fox Valley River to the border with Indiana. We also go as far north as the border with Wisconsin and as far south as Wilmington, IL.

Who are we?

The Greater Chicago Team continues to grow in the number of volunteers as well as hosting and sending students abroad.

Want to host an AFS exchange student in your home?

With over 75 years of experience and 100 years of history, AFS is a leader in international high school exchange. One thing that sets us apart is our network of almost 3,000 volunteers throughout the U.S. Many of our volunteers have hosted international exchange students or studied abroad with AFS. These local volunteers support families, students, and schools in gaining the most from their hosting experience.

If you are interested in hosting for an academic year, semester, or a few weeks as a welcome or temporary host family, please reach out to 1-800-AFS-INFO or visit afsusa.org/host. If you’d like to contact someone in the Chicago area, please reach out to Susie Linker or David Ubogy.

See one of our local host families in this video,
produced by Mark Holzman

Are you applying to study abroad?

We have plenty of people in Chicago who would enjoy sharing their study abroad experiences with you. Current students, returnees, volunteers, and staff are ready to answer questions and help you take the steps toward becoming part of this amazing international community.

Please reach out to 1-800-AFS-INFO or visit afsusa.org/study-abroad. If you’d like to contact someone in the Chicago area, please reach out to Paolo Rampichini.

Looking for scholarships?

All Scholarships

Greater Chicago Scholarship
Thanks to some wonderful local donors and volunteers, there are funds available for prospective AFSers throughout Greater Chicago!

The AFS Greater Chicago Team provides scholarships to qualified local high school students in the Greater Chicago area for AFS-USA summer, semester or academic year programs. The goal is to help deserving students and their families bridge the gap between the funds they have available and the cost of an AFS-USA program.

To be eligible for a scholarship from the AFS Greater Chicago Scholarship, students must:

Live or attend high school within Greater Chicago area
Submit an AFS online application
Express interest in need-based funds to a local AFS volunteer and complete a Greater Chicago Scholarship Application Form
Recipients and the amount of each scholarship are decided by the scholarship committee, which is comprised of AFS volunteers who are experienced in evaluating students’ abilities to benefit from an AFS program and other members of the community whose job experience gives them expertise in evaluating families’ financial capabilities

Awards are announced at the end of each AFS application cycle.

For more information about the AFS Greater Chicago Scholarship, please contact Hannah Brusewitz.

Awards are announced on a rolling basis, so apply early! Please note that all applicants are not guaranteed funding.

Are you a returnee?

This section is dedicated to the involvement of AFS returnees in our area. No matter how long you’ve been a returnee, there is a place for you in the Greater Chicago Team. For more information on getting involved in our team as a Returnee Volunteer, please contact Moritz and Mel or Vicci.

Sign up to be a volunteer!

Greater Chicago offers several “fun and rewarding” opportunities for individuals looking to donate time or resources toward the success of our area and the advancement of our mission. Whether you have 10 hours a month or 10 hours a year to spare, we have room for you. We are continuously looking for individuals, families or groups that have something to give.

School presenter/school representative: School presentations help to inform students of the benefits of having an AFS experience.
Sending interviewer: We are constantly looking for volunteers interested in talking with our prospective students and their families to ensure they have the necessary information about the exchange process and to make sure they are the right candidates for an AFS experience.
Host Family interviewer: Similar to that of a sending interviewer, the host family interviewer conducts in-home interviews of potential families applying to host our international students.
Orientation facilitator: From leading small groups of students and planning orientation sessions, to cooking and cleaning, it takes a small army to run a successful orientation for our students, families and volunteers.
Student/Family liaison: Liaisons work as a link between the hosted student, the host family and the host school. The liaison is available for advice (support) on adjusting to various situations that may arise during the exchange experience and as a resource for AFS policy and procedure adherence.
Community volunteer: Each area of Greater Chicago needs additional volunteers to help with various small tasks throughout the year; from helping at O’Hare International Airport during the arrival/departure process each year to coordinating a small AFS get-together, our Community Volunteers are the backbone of our success.

Interested? Please contact Moritz and Mel or Hannah Brusewitz.

Contact our Area Team

To receive more information about:

Hosting: If you are interested in hosting one of many students this year, please reach out to Susie Linker or David Ubogy.
Study abroad: If you are interested in sending a student abroad or going abroad, please reach out to Paolo Rampichini.
Scholarships: please contact Hannah Brusewitz.
Volunteering: please contact Moritz and Mel.