Born and raised in Southwest Michigan, Jamie LeDonne currently resides in Union Mills and is the Regional Administrator for International Cultural Exchange Services, a firm that works with exchange students to place them with host families during their time in the United States. As a mother of two children and someone who is dedicated to her family, LeDonne also provides familial support to those students who come to America to study.
LeDonne started out as a host family in 2011 and has been working with exchange students ever since. Shortly after her first time hosting, she was approached to become a local coordinator. In 2012, LeDonne became a manager for Northwest Indiana. LeDonne works with public high schools in the area to find host families for exchange students and bring new cultures and experiences not only to exchange students but to local students and families as well.
LeDonne and her family have also hosted 16 students themselves over the past 10 years. Although the students spend a short amount of time in the United States, the bonds these students and families have last a lifetime.
“It was a great experience for my kids who were 10 and 12 when we first started hosting. Several of our kids have been back to visit us after they’ve returned home, and we’ve been able to visit several of them over in their countries,” LeDonne said. “We live in a very rural area, so letting my kids see that there’s more than corn in Indiana was a real good benefit for them.”
LeDonne and International Cultural Exchange Services work with students from 45 different countries and mainly deal with students from Asia, Europe, and South America. There are many students that are looking to come to the United States to study abroad, and there can be challenges finding the right families for these students. Despite the challenges and barriers, LeDonne and her team work hard to find the best fit for their students.
“We’re always looking for good families that are looking to go on this journey with us and our students,” LeDonne said. “I would recommend that anyone who is thinking about hosting, has the means to host, or is open to the idea of hosting, that they give it a try. We have lots of support in the community with local coordinators and myself as a manager. It’s a wonderful feeling to bring this stranger into your home that becomes a part of your family. You love them like your own child, and they love you as family and you’re forever connected with this international family and student.”
It’s not always easy, but LeDonne loves what she does. Her work is more than just connecting families with students. It’s about the long-lasting bond that these individuals will create over their time in the United States.
“My favorite part of it is when I help a family find a student and then I get to hear their stories about how they’re connecting. They become a part of that American family and that’s the fun side of it: to see those relationships develop and grow,” LeDonne said.
LeDonne and her family still stay in touch with those students that they’ve hosted. Several of her students have come back to the states for college and she has been fortunate to see them again and reunite with them over the holidays. In addition to staying in touch, LeDonne and her family have also had opportunities to go to Madrid, Moscow, Bangkok, Germany, and other places to visit past students.
Outside of school, these exchange students also get opportunities to learn outside of the classroom. One of the biggest parts of this is learning and immersing themselves in a new culture.
“One of my greatest memories was asking students at the end of their program, ‘What was your favorite part of being a part of our family?’ We had a girl from Thailand, and Asian culture is quite different than the American culture. She told me that her favorite part of being with our family was that almost every night we ate dinner as a family and we talked about our day, and just to have parents that were listening to her about her day, that was her favorite time of being with us. That was very eye-opening to realize that that was something that made a big impact on her, and she was hoping that was something she could bring back with her,” LeDonne said.
The students learn a different way of life while they are in America and impact their communities immensely.
“The boy that we had from Spain, he grew up in Madrid and was very much used to a city life. He came to our home which is pretty much in the middle of nowhere. We have one neighbor, and our house is surrounded by cornfields. He ended up learning things here that he never would have learned at home like how to change the oil in a vehicle, how to rotate tires, and how to build things, which are all things he never would have experienced had he not come on the exchange program,” LeDonne said. “The best thing too is that these communities benefit from having our students here. They make friends, they get exposed to different cultures, and they attend community events. One student comes into contact with multiple people and leaves an impression and an impact on all those people that the student touches.”
Although LeDonne is based in Union Mills, she works throughout the Northwest Indiana Region to pair students with families. International Cultural Exchange Services is always open to families who are interested in hosting their students in the Region.
If your family or a family you know is interested in hosting exchange students, LeDonne and her team are currently looking for host families to pair with students who arriving in January and August of 2022. For more information, please visit icesusa.org, or email jledonne@icesusa.org.