ICES Blog | Kari Owens (5)

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 May 25, 2021

ICES Student of the Month - May 2021

ICES is proud to introduce the Student of the Month for May, Chihok Gauy. Chihok is from Phnom Penh, Cambodia and is living with...

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Tags: Student of the Month

By Kari Owens On April 29, 2021

ICES Student of the Month - April 2021

Ivona Vanekova has been selected as the ICES Student of the Month for April. Ivona is from Prievidza, Slovakia and is living with...

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Tags: Exchange Student, Student of the Month, Youth Exchange

By Kari Owens On March 22, 2021

ICES Student of the Month - March 2021

Jaime Barea Velez has been named the ICES Student of the Month for March. Jaime is from Seville, Spain and is living with the...

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By Kari Owens On February 22, 2021

ICES Student of the Month - February 2021

We are proud to introduce Jana Dieckmann as our Student of the Month for February. Jana is from Gifhorn, Germany and is living...

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Tags: Exchange Student, Student of the Month

By Kari Owens On January 15, 2021

Exchange Prepared Me for Independence

In 2014, Issy Rushton was a spunky 15-year old girl who charmed the community of Florence, Oregon with her enthusiasm, energy,...

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Tags: ICES Alumni

By Kari Owens On October 23, 2020

Learning Culture from the Front Seat

I gathered my purse, snacks, jackets, and lap blankets and headed out the door to enjoy a soccer game with the kids: my three...

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Tags: Culture Shock

By Kari Owens On September 29, 2020

Exchange Students & Contact with Home: Helpful or Harmful?

Your exchange student is living thousands of miles from home for an extended period of time. Virtually everything is different...

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Tags: Student Support, Exchange Student, Culture Shock

By Kari Owens On September 25, 2020

Road Trip! Kicking off the Exchange Year with a Cross-country Adventure

What better way to start their year in the U.S. than by traveling from coast to coast! After discussing the idea with both boys’...

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Tags: Student Experience

By Kari Owens On August 15, 2020

Hosting an Exchange Student Leads to Happily Ever After

Sometimes love is found in the most unexpected places. We at ICES hear about students' and host families’ wonderful,...

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Tags: Host Families, Cultural Exchange, Exchange Student,

By Kari Owens On July 6, 2020

Are Foreign Exchange Students Still Coming This Fall?

The 18-year old me spent the summer listening to Spanish lessons on vinyl records, obsessively checking the mailbox for news of...

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Tags: Cultural Exchange, Exchange Student, Study Abroad,

By Kari Owens On May 9, 2020

8 Reasons I Love Being a Host Mom

How many kids do you have? What used to be a straightforward question has become more complicated over the years. I’ve finally...

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Tags: Host Families, Host an exchange student, Host mom,

By Kari Owens On April 10, 2020

Why Social Distancing Feels So Hard--and Tips for Getting Through It

Each fall, I welcome a new group of exchange students to the Oregon coast and watch them begin the process of adapting to their...

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Tags: Cultural Exchange, Culture Shock, Youth Exchange

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