‘Best decision’: Exchange students in Oxford share experiences at host-family lunch

International exchange students and their host families in Oxford met for a celebratory lunch at the White Garden Inn this month, around the halfway point of the American Field Service (AFS) high school study abroad program.

Andrew Greene, a host parent in the Oxford AFS chapter, said the chapter was founded in 1964 and has both hosted and sent a total of 250 students. Families in the chapter have hosted 147 students from 45 countries and sent 103 students to 39 countries since its founding, he said.

A heat map created by Andrew Greene showed families in the Oxford AFS chapter have hosted the most students from Germany. Andrew Greene said Oxford AFS families have sent the most students to Germany, Norway and Ecuador. 

High school students staying in Oxford as part of the study abroad program attend classes at Talawanda High School for the duration of the program.

According to a recognition from AFS-USA for its 75th anniversary during the 2022-23 academic year, Talawanda High School is one of the top 75 schools nationwide hosting exchange students. It’s also one of the top 75 schools that has sent students abroad through AFS.

Jessica Greene, assistant city manager of Oxford and a host parent in the Oxford AFS chapter, said of the success of the exchange program locally, “For a small town in Ohio, we have a lot of diversity compared to other small towns our size, and it’s because of the (Miami) university.”

“I think that culture just bleeds into the (Talawanda High) school, this idea of building a world connection,” Jessica Greene said. “We’re really proud to kind of keep that going.”

Andrew Greene’s own family began hosting exchange students in the 1990s – a total of four students he considered “siblings.”

“I’ve got four international sisters now, two sons and one daughter that are all through the program,” he said.

The earlier connection inspired Jessica and Andrew Greene to host their own students later on. They’ve hosted three times to date.

The Greenes said what they appreciate most about the AFS Oxford chapter is the safety protocols. Potential host families must complete interviews, training and have references. They will also have a chance to be introduced to the students via online video calls before they arrive.

Host families also have support liaisons who can check in along the way. Host families must be able to offer a bed, access to a bathroom and study space and three meals a day, while other expenses are paid for by the students’ family or through a scholarship.

The Greenes said to anyone considering being a host, the program provides a relationship that’s like having a “new family member” for life.

“I love the kids,” Jessica Greene said of why she and Andrew continue to host. “They show us that the world is small and that we’re all just human, and it makes the world a better place, truly. It reminds you that the world can be good, so that’s what I love about it.”

Three locally-hosted study abroad students were recognized during the lunch.

Arkam Nassor

Nassor, 16, of Tanzania, joined the Greenes in November 2025 with a scholarship from the YES Program, gaining Talawanda High the 2025-26 Medallion from the U.S. Department of State for welcoming a YES Program (Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study) student. 

Nassor will be in Oxford until June alongside the other students in the chapter, although they arrived in August 2025.

Nassor said he learned most students from Africa won’t have the opportunity to join the AFS study abroad program due to many barriers, as several African countries are still “developing.” But his favorite part of the study abroad program has been sharing parts of his culture and learning from others.

When he first arrived in Oxford, Nassor couldn’t speak English, but slowly he began to understand those around him. Since arriving, he’s seen his first snowfall and learned to swim.

“He had his first swim meet with the 50-meter … and the entire swim team got at the end of the lane and cheered him on – screaming, hooting and hollering – for him to finish his first 50 meters,” Jessica Greene said, recounting a memory with the Talawanda swim and dive team from earlier this month. “My heart was so full.”

Fee Mayer

Leah and Rachel Wasburn-Moses became involved in the AFS-USA program when Rachel spent a semester studying abroad in England last year. She thought it would be equally “fun” to have an exchange student to live with in her senior year at Talawanda High.

Leah Wasburn-Moses has become the host parent for Fee Mayer, 15, of Germany. 

Mayer said her family has friends from the U.S. who visit every few years, which is how she became interested in the exchange program. Since landing in Ohio, she said she’s found the midwest to be “very pretty” and has improved her English to the point where she no longer has to think to translate.

“What I learned is … you only live once, actually, and that you have to live your life like you want it to be lived,” Mayer said, adding the experience also made her realize how much she has in her own life and how much she misses her family. 

“You actually, sometimes, don’t even think about how grateful you can be for your family or your friends back home and what you have in your home,”  and stuff, so yeah, I’m very grateful,” Mayer said.

Sofía Charbonnier Fernández

Rae Rozman and Sandra McSpadden are hosting Sofía Charbonnier Fernández, 18, of Uruguay – their third exchange student.

“Having a teenager and that energy in the house is so nice, and the relationships we make are for life,” Rozman said of the experience, adding their former exchange students still call on holidays and stay connected through group chats. “You get family. That was something we both needed.”

Rozman said they’ve learned a lot from their students, including how to communicate expectations and what is and isn’t standard for other countries, all while remembering they’re still kids.

“Just remembering that they are kids and teenagers with teenager issues and teenager emotions, and then they’re far away from their support network and everything," Rozman said, “so being gentle with that.”

Fernández said she became involved with the AFS-USA program because it was her mother’s dream to study abroad, and her dad loves America. So far, she’s been surprised at the way city streets are designed for cars, and bakeries are less frequent than in Uruguay.

At first, she was nervous to come to Oxford, but now she says it was the “best decision.”

“If you are considering this, and you are not sure, you need to do it,” Fernández said. “I didn’t even do half yet, but (it’s) already changed me a lot. I feel that I’ve learned a lot of new things, and I am still learning.”