ICES Student of the Month - December 2020

ICES is pleased to announce that Cailin Valtink has been selected as the ICES Student of the Month for December. Cailin is from Neuenhagen, Germany and is living with the Johnson family in Woodbury, Minnesota. Cailin was nominated by her Local Coordinator, Heidi Heino.

 Cailin ran into her first challenge before she even left home. A couple days before Cailin’s scheduled flight, her host sister was exposed to COVID at work, so the family had to isolate. Unable to change her flight, Cailin went with Plan B and spent the first couple weeks with her Local Coordinator, Heidi.

 Heidi says, “Cailin is a complete joy to be around. She was so helpful even the first days of being with us. She fit right into the family, helped out with cooking and cleaning up. My husband kept calling her a different name each time, and she just smiled and chatted with him. We laughed about it later when I corrected him. She is so easy going and up for anything.”

 When the time came for Cailin to move in with her host family, she felt nervous. She and her host sister had chatted a lot online, but being face-to-face might be different. She wondered how it would feel to be with them and live in their home. Would it be awkward? Uncomfortable? She was relieved to find that from the very first day, she and her host sister got along beautifully.

 The feeling is mutual. Says host mom, Holly, “She is positive and sunny most of the time, finds ways to engage with people in her family interpersonally and develop relationships, is an excellent communicator, and is extremely grateful. She is hard working at school as well as at home. I have found her to be very giving and extremely easy-going. I’m a single-mom and was nervous to take on a student because I was worried I wouldn’t be able to do all the things required. Cailin has made it easy for me to be a host parent and she has been a big enhancement to our family!”

 As Cailin was settling in with her delightful host family, they got a call from the Local Coordinator, asking if they would consider hosting another girl who needed a home. Soon, Cailin had another sister—Meg from Italy. Cailin says, “At first, I was unsure how it would work out, but it has been so good! Meg and I love to talk, and she always understands how I’m feeling because she’s in the same situation.”

 Cailin attends Saint Paul Conservatory for Performing Arts. Although she has taken ballet since she was a young child, attending a performing arts school has stretched her knowledge and skills to additional arenas such as dance improv, choreography, tap, and African dance. She’s embraced the chance to learn and experience something new. After all, isn’t that what exchange is all about?

 This open, optimistic attitude is a consistent part of Cailin’s life. Her host mom, Holly, says, “One of the things that makes her so special is how she is embracing this opportunity. She feels grateful for the chance to be here and to learn as much about the culture as she can. She is also aware of what additional things are required to host her and doesn’t make unreasonable demands or expect everything to go her way. I think she is not just an amazing exchange student, but an amazing person.”

 When asked to share the favorite memories of her exchange so far, Cailin struggled to narrow it down. She loved the road trip she took with her host family to visit famous sights like Mt. Rushmore and Crazy Horse, and she was particularly impressed with the drive-through zoo, as she’d never seen anything like that before. She loved the Halloween hayride and celebrating American Thanksgiving traditions. But she also treasures the simple things of daily life, like playing games with her host family or sitting around the table after dinner talking. She says her host family is super kind, and she loves being part of it.

 Cailin has enjoyed sharing her German culture with her host family by cooking German dishes and playing German music for them. While she came expecting to learn and experience American culture, having an Italian sister has provided lots of bonus learning of Italian culture as well.

In a year that has been challenging for all of us, Cailin has been intentional about making each day count. She says, “I try to make every day different. When I wake up, I plan what I will do that day. It’s often simple things like skating, going for a run or walk, or spending time with friends. But having a plan keeps the days from slipping away.”

 As the Student of the Month, Cailin will receive a $100 Visa gift card, an ICES t-shirt, and a congratulatory letter from ICES President, John Crist.