ROCKFORD, Mich. — Students from across the world have been coming to West Michigan through a nationwide cultural exchange program.
Italy, China, Brazil and Thailand are some of those countries the teens are coming from to attend high schools for the year in the Kent Intermediate School District.
The program, run by Educatius, is now expanding to serve even more international students, and it's looking for host families to help.
The Frazier's, a West Michigan family living in Rockford, hosted a girl from Taiwan over the last year. They say she quickly became part of their family.
Now, they're pushing for others to open their doors and hearts to do the same.
"I don’t think I’m brave enough to study abroad, but I still made it," said Yung Chieh "Manta" Yang, a Taiwanese study abroad student living in Rockford.
Manta moved 7,417 miles from her home in Taipei, Taiwan. She says it was hard, but her host family made it easier.
"They’re like my real family right now. I didn't expect that," said Manta.
She spent her senior year of high school in Rockford living with the Frazier family. It was not only a new experience for her but for them as well.
"It’s like when anything new comes into your life," said Lauren Frazier, Manta's host mother. "You are a host parent. You are not this child's parent, but you still are a guardian and you're still someone who's going to guide them, and it was exciting," she said.
It was exciting in a time of sadness. Lauren and her husband Timothy had lost a pregnancy not long before deciding to open up their home to Manta.
"With our son in the preschool, we get a lot of the announcements from Rockford School District, and so they had made an announcement saying that they needed host families for certain individuals, and I just knew right away that that was a great connection for us," said Timothy Frazier, Manta's host father.
The Frazier's say their love grew for Manta. She quickly became part of the family.
The bond came by playing hours and hours of ping pong with Timothy, having dance parties with the Frazier's 5-year-old son and Lauren as well as learning about American holiday's like Thanksgiving.
"Turkey, wow. That was pretty good. They even named the turkey. Louise? Yeah, the turkey’s name was Louise," said Manta.
Manta also attended prom for the first time.
The Frazier Family spent time learning about some of her traditions too.
"We had a whole celebration for Lunar New Year here, and she shared with us some of the things that they do, and we've tried to replicate it, and it was really fun to like, we might do it again," said Lauren.
These memorable moments leaving a huge impact on students like Manta and West Michigan as a whole.
That's why Educatius, the tuition-based program hosting these study abroad students in partnership with Kent ISD, is encouraging more families to become involved.
Families are given a monthly stipend to offset the cost.
"We get them through the application process, and we support them, you know, throughout the entire school year, and we watched them grow, you know, together and that's what's really rewarding about this," said Ashely Riley, the regional manager for Educatius.
"Open your mind to people that you don't know. That will be good, like, it will be like a good opportunity to everybody in the world," said Manta.
"It is a genuinely fun experience for everyone. For your neighbors, for your friends, for your family, and so for those who are thinking about all the different logistics, and how's this going to work, at the end of the day, if you make room for a little bit of fun in your life, it changes your overall energy and atmosphere, and that's worth it," said Timothy.
While Manta has left to go back to Taiwan for the summer, her Michigan story is not over just yet.
She is set to come back in the Fall to attend Michigan State University, and the Frazier's say they'll still have a guest room for her to come visit when she needs time away.
They're also taking in another study abroad student from Thailand for the upcoming year.
If you're interested in learning more about becoming a host family, click here for information or to apply.
