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…
Alumni Articles
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.…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Young Alumni Reflections
For more than 70 years, AFSers like you have helped advance international awareness and cultural understanding while at the same…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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,…
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…
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…
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 1980, starting with his own year abroad in…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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,…
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…
Volunteer Appreciation Month: Kodee (Returnee Volunteer)
We have many wonderful volunteers who dedicate their time and talents to AFS. In honor of Volunteer Appreciation Month, AFS…
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…
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…
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…
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 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…
Returnee Spotlight on: Dana Buzzelli
September 21, 2016 – Dana Buzzelli is an alumna of the National Security Language Initiative for Youth scholarship program, funded…