The Wofford International Host Program was developed to offer hospitality and community links to international students at Wofford College. The program places volunteer residents and interested international students together for a cross-cultural exchange of ideas and friendship. Local hosts can be anyone from a retiree, to a large family, to a young couple. The only pre-requisite is a desire to be a community resource for an international student and to help him or her feel comfortable in a new setting.
The majority of international students are in business, science, and math programs with high academic aspirations and achievement. They are bright, talented young men and women from a variety of countries around the world, including China, Venezuela, and Ghana. Their English fluency can vary, but all are required to have college-level English proficiency to attend Wofford. Generally, most have stronger writing/reading skills and are eager to practice their spoken English.
Program hosts are the student's link to the Spartanburg area community, providing them with a glimpse of life outside the Wofford campus. A host might invite an international student home for a meal, introduce the student to friends and family, host a student during Christmas break, celebrate birthdays and other special occasions, attend a Wofford event together, etc. This is not a homestay program. International students live on campus and only need occasional assistance during school holidays. Many times, students are so far away from home simply need a home-cooked meal or an understanding person to explain cultural questions along the way.
The amount of time hosts and students spend together varies, depending on the schedules of both. On average, most hosts and students get together once or twice a month, including a couple of events each term through our office. We only assign hosts to those students who request them; however, classes and curricular commitments keep them busy.
We ask hosts to commit initially for one academic year and to let us know if they will not be able to continue the following year by the end of May.
Email Sara Milani at milanisk@wofford.edu if you are interested in participating in the program or have questions. We ask hosts to fill out at short application and finalize host pairs in early August. We host a Host Family training during the freshman orientation in August and then two campus events each term.
Since it is difficult for host families to host students during holidays or for the full 3 weeks during Christmas break, we are always looking for hosts willing to help out during this time. We are also happy to have hosts for a one-time event during the year, such as a day hike or trip to Walmart, or help with taking students to language or culture-specific community events. If you are interested in helping in this way, please contact Sara Milani at milanisk@wofford.edu.