St. Louis Community College-Florissant Valley needs families to open their homes as host families to Scholarships for Education and Economic Development (SEED) students.
The students will arrive in August for the 2013-14 school year.
SEED is a partnership program between the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Georgetown University and community colleges across the United States.
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SEED scholarships are awarded to highly qualified students from Mexico, the Caribbean and Central America. They pass a rigorous process of recruitment, personal interviews and competitive selection jointly conducted by SEED in-country staff, support networks and the participating colleges.
The typical SEED scholar is 17 to 25 years old and has demonstrated leadership skills. He or she comes from a lower income family and is often from indigenous and minority groups. At least 80 percent of the students come from rural areas and at least half of all participants are women. SEED scholars must commit to return to their home countries upon completion of their program.
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The students come to the United States to study in a field needed for the development of their home communities, learn about U.S. culture, values and lifestyles, and serve as cultural ambassadors from their countries. St. Louis Community College has hosted SEED students since 1989. Fields of study have included telecommunications, quality technology and industrial maintenance.
Hosting an international student offers a unique and rewarding experience unlike any other.
Host families provide the student with adequate room and board with the help of a monthly stipend provided by the SEED program. They also help the student to stay focused on his or her studies and program goals while in the United States. Host families also assist the student in the process of learning about and adapting to U.S. culture and the local community and facilitate the process of learning English. Students take part in all aspects of college life, from attending classes to participating in sports and club activities.
The mission of SEED ultimately is for all students to return home as agents of change; as well-rounded, bilingual individuals who will make a difference in the lives of their families, in their communities and countries. Through many hours devoted to academic classes, leadership development and community service, SEED students learn to appreciate and live out servant leadership, one of the core principles of the program.
They’ve enthusiastically participated in several service learning projects across the St. Louis region, including lending a hand to the Confluence Clean Up at Missouri Bottoms, assisting in the STLCC Electronic Recycling program and planting thousands of daffodil bulbs along I-64 for Brightside St. Louis.
All kinds of families are selected to host SEED students. Married couples with or without children, single parents, and singles without children, as well as families with teenagers are encouraged to participate as hosts.
If you are interested in sharing the American way of life with an international student, and exposing your family to a new culture, contact Susan McKnight at 314-513-4237 or Joseph Cooper at 314-513-4124.
Established in 1962, St. Louis Community College is the largest community college district in Missouri and one of the largest in the United States. STLCC has four campuses – Florissant Valley, Forest Park, Meramec and Wildwood – that annually serve more than 81,000 students through credit courses, continuing education and workforce development programs. For more information about STLCC, visit www.stlcc.edu.