ICES Blog | Kari Owens (4)

Kari Owens

Kari is the National Training Director for International Cultural Exchange Services (ICES). She’s passionate about youth exchange and has experienced it from every angle. In high school, she spent an academic year in Rancagua, Chile as an exchange student, and has since been a host mom to more than a dozen exchange students. She and her husband also supported both of their daughters during their exchange years to Germany and Ecuador. Currently, Kari spends her days providing training to ICES field staff to equip them to provide outstanding support to students and host families throughout the U.S.

Recent Posts

By Kari Owens On August 5, 2022

Why I Host Exchange Students

Have you ever wondered why families invite a foreign teen to live with them for 5-10 months? And why many families do it over and...

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Tags: Host Families, Youth Exchange, Host an exchange student,

By Kari Owens On July 30, 2022

What You Should Know About Receiving Your Exchange Student

Arrival day is almost here! Of all the exciting parts of hosting an exchange student, this might be my favorite. I love that...

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By Kari Owens On July 8, 2022

Exchange Students Love the Simple Things

Many families think that hosting an exchange student requires taking them on big trips to famous places. And while most students...

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Tags: Cultural Exchange, Host an exchange student, Student Experience

By Kari Owens On June 10, 2022

100 Questions to Help You Get to Know Your Exchange Student

The summer months are the perfect time to start getting to know this fascinating teenager that will soon become part of your...

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Tags: Host Families, Exchange Student, Host an exchange student

By Kari Owens On March 1, 2022

February Student of the Month

ICES is very proud to introduce our February Student of the Month, Matilde Eleonori from Piacenza, Italy. “Mati” lives with the...

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Tags: Exchange Student, StudentoftheMonth, Youth Exchange

By Kari Owens On February 1, 2022

January Student of the Month

We are pleased to introduce you to the ICES Student of the Month for January, Olivia Ganbat from Stockholm, Sweden. Olivia lives...

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Tags: StudentoftheMonth

By Kari Owens On December 10, 2021

November Student of the Month

Leonie Laffitte has been selected as the ICES Student of the Month for November. Leonie is from Castres, France and is living...

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Tags: Cultural Exchange, Student of the Month, Study Abroad

By Kari Owens On December 3, 2021

Hangin' Loose in Hawaii

ICES staff members spend their days providing exchange students with the valuable opportunity to learn, experience, and enjoy a...

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Tags: Cultural Exchange, Local Coordinator, Travel for free

By Kari Owens On November 24, 2021

Pictures of Gratitude

In preparation for Thanksgiving, we launched a photo contest in which we asked our students and host families to share captioned...

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Tags: Host Families, Host an exchange student, Student Experience,

By Kari Owens On October 21, 2021

Host Families' First Impressions

A few weeks ago, we shared our students' first impressions of life in the U.S. Now we'll give our host families a turn to share...

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Tags: Host an exchange student, Reasons to host

By Kari Owens On September 15, 2021

They're Here! First Impressions of the U.S.

Have you ever wondered what it's like for an exchange student to arrive in the U.S.? What cultural differences stand out to them?...

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Tags: Student Experience

By Kari Owens On July 26, 2021

Hosting an Exchange Student: FAQs

Thinking about hosting an exchange student? Or just curious about how it all works? We've rounded up our most commonly asked...

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Tags: Host an exchange student

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